a former construction minister and described by analysts as powerful and tough -- has kept a low profile during the protests. Kyrgyzstan, a mainly Muslim country of 5 million bordering China, lies in an energy-rich region where Washington and Moscow vie for influence. Both have a military base outside Bishkek. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, speaking in Guatemala, said he did not believe U.S. troops would be affected by the protests. The United States and its Western allies keep hundreds of servicemen the base which supports U.S. operations in Afghanistan. The unrest is certain to unnerve the autocratic, mostly pro-Moscow leaders in the rest of ex-Soviet Central Asia compared to whom Akayev was relatively liberal. Many demonstrators wore pink and yellow arm bands which are becoming the colours of anti-Akayev protest -- much as orange was the campaign colour in Ukraine and the red rose the symbol of the opposition in Georgia. --More 0313 Local Time 0013 GMT
