Moscow, April 03, SPA --Russian state television today accused the United States of using its only remaining air base in Central Asia as cover for a wide-scale spying operation, according to Reuters. Rossiya television released a clip of a documentary to beaired on Sunday purporting to show how the United States mountedintelligence operations from the Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan,which is used for supplying foreign troops in Afghanistan. Kyrgyzstan in February told Washington to close the air baseafter it secured a $2 billion economic aid package from Russia,a setback for the United States as it seeks new supply routes. "Eight years ago under the pretext of the war in Afghanistanthe United States opened its air base at the Manas airport," aRossiya statement said. "But this was only the start. Subsequently the Americans inKyrgyzstan launched a wide-scale intelligence operation." State television is seen as a mouthpiece for the Russianauthorities. But airing the film just days after PresidentDmitry Medvedev's first meeting with U.S. President Barack Obamais likely to raise speculation of tensions within Russia'selite. U.S. officials have said they hope to keep the base at Manasbut Bishkek says the base must close and that the decision ofits president to close the U.S. outpost is final. --SPA www.spa.gov.sa/650778