American Bases has been hand-delivered to Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan.

Capt. Tim Bryan, Commanding Officer of the US Naval Air Station, said that on Friday he handed Sir John a ten-page long statement.

Capt. Bryan would not comment on the contents of the statement, saying he wanted to give Government time to digest it first.

The Premier was to be off the Island on vacation this week, and Capt. Bryan said he would meet with him when he returned.

While the US Navy took the lead on the American position, it was vetted by the Air Force, the State Department, the Federal Aviation Administration, the US Coast Guard, and the National Aeronautic and Space Administration, among other bodies, Capt. Bryan said.

The US has closed its US Naval Annex and US Naval Facility in Southampton and is to withdraw from the US Naval Air Station at St. David's on September 1.

Bermuda must take over running of the Airport on June 1.

Bermuda has called for a major environmental clean-up and completely rejected a $140-million value the Americans had placed on "improvements'' at the Naval Air Station and Naval Annex.

The two sides also differ over the future of the original Base agreement, signed in 1942 to last 99 years. Bermuda wants the agreement scrapped and a new lease drawn up for any continued US presence. The Americans want the existing rent-free lease to apply to land on Cooper's Island used by the National Aeronautic and Space Administration tracking station.

Committees handling air operations and other technical aspects of the Base handover have been meeting continuously, and both sides say the turnover is proceeding smoothly.

But the main negotiating teams for the two sides have not met in "plenary session'' since December.