U.S. military spokesman says Kyrgyzstan shooting appears to come under immunity agreement

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/07/america/NA_GEN_US_Kyrgyzstan_Immunity.php

WASHINGTON: The fatal shooting of a truck driver by a U.S. Air Force security man in Kyrgyzstan would appear to come under the a Base Access Agreement signed in July by the government of Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, a Defense Department spokesman said Thursday.

Lt. Cmdr. Joe Carpenter said the incident, which happened Wednesday, remains under investigation.

"The agreement will have to be examined considering the circumstances of this incident and how they match," Carpenter told The Associated Press. "Certainly we intend to fulfill our bilateral agreement with Kyrgyzstan."

Bakiyev suggested to U.S. Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch that perhaps immunity should be lifted from U.S. service personnel at Manas Air Base, near Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital.

The Kyrgyzstan Foreign Ministry delivered a note to the U.S. Embassy demanding that the airman's immunity be lifted. Status of Forces Agreements in many countries where U.S. military personnel are stationed grant them varying levels of legal immunity.