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[For background see the Eurasia Insight phentermine florida]. Officials at Manas have taken several steps to try to prevent future problems with the Kyrgyzstan public. In response to the fuel dumping controversy the new commander of the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing has forbidden fuel dumping without his express consent. And as a result of the truck driver’s death, the base security forces have been retrained and equipped with billy clubs. When terms for use of the base were renegotiated, the United States ended up paying substantially more than the previous $2 million a year. [For background see the Eurasia Insight phentermine florida]. The precise amount has not been publicly disclosed. "The Kyrgyz government has used every possibility to keep the heat on the Americans," said one western diplomat in Bishkek. "I think it was to get a higher price, and it was also a nice way to keep the Americans in line." "I don’t think Kyrgyzstan is interested in driving out the base," the diplomat continued. "The US is providing about $150 million a year in aid, and they have to expect that if the air base leaves some of that will disappear, and Russia and China won’t be able to compensate for it." "The government treats [the Russian base at] Kant [outside of Bishkek] as a part of its own security, while Manas is its contribution to the war on terror," said another western diplomat in Bishkek. "Part of the difficulty is in getting people to see it as a strategic issue rather than as a revenue source." The United States dodged controversy when Bishkek hosted the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in August. A previous SCO summit produced a demand for Washington to develop a timetable for its military departure from Central Asia, and there was some speculation that Manas might come under the gun during this most recent summit. [For background see the Eurasia Insight phentermine florida]. But the issue did not come up publicly at the summit, at least in part due to US diplomatic efforts to encourage SCO member countries to keep the base off the meeting’s agenda. Russia is also believed to be in favor of the base’s presence, for the role it plays in containing the Taliban, although China is believed to be less concerned about Afghanistan and more concerned with a US long term presence on its western border. "The Chinese are very wary of the US presence in Central Asia," says the second diplomat. "We’re not here to upset the Chinese and the Russians," says Berchoff. "Our goal is to stop the spread of extremism and terror around the world. If you look at the last terror attack that was in Kyrgyzstan, it was in 2003. I don’t know if we can say that’s because of our presence here, but there’s definitely something to be said for hosting a base of a country that’s fighting the war on terror," he says. "And let’s give the Russians their due that base might have the same effect," Berchoff adds. "Maybe the US and Russia don’t agree on a lot of things, but one thing we agree on is extremism." Editor’s Note: Joshua Kucera is a Washington, DC, based freelance writer who specializes in security issues in Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Middle East. Posted December 4, 2007 © Eurasianet ... phentermine florida