Airport, Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan said last night.

Sir John made his comment after the American Government announced it will cut off funds for the US Naval Air Station on September 1, 1995.

US Secretary of Defence Mr. Les Aspin must table a plan for closing the base at St. David's by March 1, the Senate and House Armed Services Committees have agreed.

"I was hoping to get a bit more,'' Sir John told The Royal Gazette in a telephone interview from the Virgin Islands, where he was attending a meeting.

"But it's better than what it was originally.'' The Senate/House Conference Committee's agreement was released jointly by House Armed Services Committee chairman Mr. Ron Dellums and Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Mr. Sam Nunn.

The closure was announced as part of a proposed $261-billion US defence budget -- $2 billion less than US President Mr. Bill Clinton wanted.

The Base, which opened after British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and US Prime Minister Franklin Roosevelt signed an agreement in 1941, has contributed millions of dollars annually to the Bermuda economy.

In addition to what the Americans spend on supplies and housing, Navy personnel operate the Civil Air Terminal and provide weather forecasting for the Island.

But the agreement "prohibits the use of Department of Defence funds to operate NAS Bermuda after September 1, 1995''.

"It gives us some time to continue to work with the US Navy to assure that we maintain not only an air operation, but a facility that meets international requirements,'' Sir John said.

It was too early to say how that would be accomplished.

Estimates of what a Base closure will cost Bermuda have ranged from $5 million to $23 million a year.

In the Throne Speech on Friday, Government said the Base's future was "of prime importance to Bermuda''.

Mr. Peter Steffes, a staffer in the office of the House Armed Services committee, said the deal gave nearly two years notice of the base closure, while only one year was required under the Base agreement.

"I know from correspondence that we got from the British Embassy that the Government there felt that two years would be an adequate time,'' he said.

"There was a lot of contact by the British Embassy directly to Congress and also to the Department of the Secretary of Defence.

"I know that the Chief of Naval Operations was very concerned that the drawdown was done in an orderly way.'' In the last few months, the Premier met with British Prime Minister Mr. John Major, Mr. Clinton, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Secretary General Dr.

Manfred Woerner, and others as he attempted to stop or delay the base closure.

The agreement, made public in Washington on Friday, must still be voted on in the House of Representatives and the Senate, but was expected to become law by Christmas.

Acting Premier the Hon. Irving Pearman said he could say little before discussing the announcement with the Premier and the Cabinet Committee that was dealing with the Base.

"My own initial reaction is that this kind of timetable is exactly what the Premier has been working toward,'' Mr. Pearman said. "It is certainly better than the three months notice which it appeared at one time we might be facing.'' Legislation considered in Washington in September -- which would have violated the Base agreement -- provided for only 90 days notice of closure.

Opposition Leader Mr. Frederick Wade called the closure "probably the most important thing that has happened to us since the opening of the Base''.

Mr. Wade, who tabled a motion on Friday calling on Government to train Bermudians to run the Civil Air Terminal and act to assure its closure would not cause "great economic or other hardship,'' said yesterday he was "not surprised'' by the time frame.

"We have to get on with the job of preparing ourselves for the closure,'' Mr.

Wade told The Royal Gazette .

He criticised the Premier, saying his "so-called diplomacy'' in recent months "was not effective''.

When Mr. Wade visited Washington in September, he found that many members of Congress "were not aware of the fact that we had a civilian Airport being run by the military''.

Sir John should now go to the Americans with a written proposal and come back with a firm closure agreement, Mr. Wade said.

In August, outgoing NAS Bermuda Commanding Officer Capt. James Arnold said the number of Navy personnel at the Base would be cut to about 325 from 650 by November of 1994. There were 950 personnel two years ago.