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12 October 2007 |
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071012/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_russia |
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See also: other related news items.
MOSCOW - High-level talks Friday between the United States and Russia
failed to bridge major differences over U.S. plans for a missile defense system
in Europe and a range of strategic arms issues.
Serdyukov agreed.
"The principal thing to which we did not agree today is the deployment of
anti-missile elements which have an anti-Russian character and which are to be
placed in Europe," he said. |
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12 October 2007 |
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071012/ap_on_re_eu/us_russia |
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MOSCOW - In a tense start to talks on a range of thorny issues, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned U.S. officials to back off a plan to install missile defenses in eastern Europe or risk harming relations with Moscow. He also threatened to pull his country out of a Cold War-era treaty limiting intermediate range missiles unless it was extended to countries beyond the United States and Russia, which are now the only signatories. Addressing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Putin appeared to mock the U.S. missile defense plan, which is at the center of a tangle of arms control and diplomatic disputes between the former adversaries. "Of course we can sometime in the future decide that some anti-missile defense system should be established somewhere on the moon," Putin said, according to an English translation. "But before we reach such arrangements we will lose the opportunity for fixing some particular arrangements between us." Later, at the start of a meeting with Rice and Gates, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the Americans had presented "detailed proposals" to Putin on missile defense and arms control and a treaty on reducing conventional forces in Europe. He offered no details but said the Russian government is ready to seek compromise, noting in particular Putin's eagerness to expand the treaty on intermediate missiles. But both he and Rice said the two countries were committed to bridging those gaps. "I know that we don't always see eye-to-eye on every element of the solutions to these issues," Rice said. "Nonetheless, I believe we will do this in a constructive spirit, that we will make progress during these talks as we continue to pursue cooperation." The Russian government sees the U.S. missile defense plan, which Washington describes as a hedge against the threat of missile attack from Iran, as a worrisome step toward weakening Russian security. It has been a longstanding dispute, and Putin's remarks seemed to raise the level of tensions. Rice and Gates appeared taken aback at the forcefulness of Putin's remarks, which were made in the presence of American and Russian news media before they began a closed-door meeting around an oval table in an ornate conference room at his country house outside the capital. "We will try to find ways to cooperate," Rice responded, looking at notes she had jotted while frowning at Putin as he spoke from what appeared to be a prepared text. After keeping Rice and Gates waiting for 40 minutes, Putin began the session with a lengthy monologue in which he said Russia might have to abandon the 1987 missile treaty with the United States if it is not expanded to constrain other missile-armed countries. Referring to the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty negotiated between the United States and the former Soviet Union, Putin said it must be applied to other countries, including those "located in our near vicinity." He did not mention any by name, but in response, Gates said Washington was interested in limiting missile proliferation in Iran. Putin said the treaty must be made "universal in nature." The pact eliminated the deployment of Soviet and American ballistic missiles of intermediate range and was a landmark step in arms control just two years before the fall of the Berlin Wall and later the breakup of the Soviet Union. "We need to convince other (countries) to assume the same level of obligation as assumed by the Russian Federation and the United States," Putin said. "If we are unable to obtain such a goal ... it will be difficult for us to keep within the framework of the treaty in a situation where other countries do develop such weapon systems, and among those are countries located in our near vicinity." Gates said the Pentagon was ready to intensify a dialogue on the matter. "We have an ambitious agenda of security issues that concern both of us, including, as you suggest, development of missile systems by others in the neighborhood - I would say in particular, Iran," he said. Gates did not directly comment on the missile defense dispute. Putin also has threatened to suspend Russian adherence to another arms control treaty, known as the Conventional Forces in Europe pact, which limits deployments of conventional military forces. Moscow wants it to be revised in ways that thus far have been unacceptable to U.S. and European signatories. On missile defense, Putin was particularly pointed in his remarks, in which sought to lay out his view of what Rice and Gates should be discussing with Lavrov and Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov. "We hope that in the process of such complex and multi-faceted talks you will not be forcing forward your relations with the eastern European countries," the president said. He then made his remark about the possibility of one day putting a missile defense system on the moon. Shortly before the talks with Putin, Lavrov had strolled into the house's billiards room, where American reporters had gathered, for a cigarette break. He was asked whether he expected any breakthroughs in the talks and offered a perhaps prophetic quip. "Breaks, definitely. Through or down, I don't know," he said. The Pentagon plans to install 10 missile interceptors in Poland, linked to a missile tracking radar in the Czech Republic. The Pentagon says the system will provide some protection in Europe and beyond for long-range missiles launched from Iran, but Russia believes the system is a step toward undermining the deterrent value of its nuclear arsenal. Rice told reporters on Thursday on her flight to Moscow that the U.S. would go ahead with the program as planned. "We've been very clear that we need the Czech and Polish sites," she said, although there's "considerable interest" in Russian ideas for cooperation such as sharing a Soviet-era tracking station in Azerbaijan. |
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12 October 2007 |
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2189768,00.html?... |
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Vladimir Putin today warned the US against rushing to implement plans for a missile "shield" in eastern Europe. The Russian president was speaking at the start of talks with senior US officials in Moscow. "The one thing on which I would like to focus attention is that in the process of these difficult negotiations we hope that you will not force through previous agreements with eastern European countries," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as telling the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, and the defence secretary, Robert Gates. US plans to install 10 missile interceptors in Poland, linked to a missile-tracking radar system in the Czech Republic, have bedevilled US-Soviet relations in recent months, and there are few signs of a breakthrough that will improve the political atmosphere. Shortly before the talks began, reporters asked the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, whether he expected any breakthroughs. "Breaks, definitely," he replied - "through or down, I don't know." The Pentagon has said the system would provide an early warning system against "rogue states" such as Iran, which the west believes is developing nuclear weapons, despite Tehran's denials. But Russia believes the US is overstating the Iranian threat and fears that a new missile defence system in eastern Europe would undermine the deterrence value of its own nuclear arsenal. Despite Russian opposition and growing public unease in Poland and the Czech Republic to the US plans, Ms Rice said before the talks that the US would press ahead with its plans. "We've been very clear that we need the Czech and Polish sites," she said yesterday. But she added that there was "considerable interest" in Russian ideas for cooperation, such as sharing a Soviet-era tracking station in Azerbaijan. "We're going to keep exploring ideas. We want to explore ideas," she said. "We are interested in other potential sites as well, and we may be able to find ways to put that together." In the summer, Mr Putin offered the US joint use of a Russian early-warning radar in Garbala, in Azerbaijan, in return for the US dropping its Czech plans. But the US says Garbala could only complement the Czech radar plan. Iran is another bone of contention between Washington and Moscow. Mr Putin this week played down the Iranian nuclear threat. During talks in Moscow with the French president, Nicholas Sarkozy, he said there was no evidence Iran was trying to build nuclear weapons. But Ms Rice, on her way to Moscow, accused Iran of lying about the aim of its nuclear programme and deceiving the UN's atomic watchdog about its intentions. "There is an Iranian history of obfuscation and, indeed, lying to the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency]," Ms Rice said. The Bush administration is pushing for new sanctions against Iran, but Russia and China oppose such a move. With what promise to be tough talks ahead, the US and Russia also differ on the future of a treaty limiting deployment of conventional military forces in Europe, as well as over the prospect of Kosovo's declaring independence from Serbia as early as December. Beyond the discussion with Mr Putin, Mr Gates and Ms Rice are also meeting Mr Lavrov and the defence minister, Anatoly Serdyukov. |
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12 October 2007 |
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http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=3719933 |
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MOSCOW -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will push U.S. plans for a missile shield in Europe despite Kremlin opposition and argue for tougher sanctions on Iran when she meets top Russian officials in Moscow on Friday. Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates are set to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov in the so-called "2+2" meeting. Topping the agenda is the U.S. plan to put radar in the Czech Republic and interceptors in Poland. Washington says they are needed to protect against missiles from "rogue" states, such as Iran and North Korea. Russia sees the plan as a threat. Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed the two countries use Russian-operated early warning radar in Azerbaijan instead. "We have been very clear that we need the Czech and Polish sites," Rice said on her way to Moscow. "But we are interested in other potential sites as well and ... we may be able to find ways to put that together. "The real central point is that there isn't a threat from the United States to Russia and from Russia to the United States any longer," said Rice, who was trained as a Soviet specialist during the Cold War. Putin is expected to host a short meeting with the ministers, Kremlin deputy spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. "Undoubtedly there will be an exchange of views on the missile defense issue and on the other, most critical questions on which there are differences," he said. The talks in Moscow are also likely to cover Russia's threat to leave the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty and what might succeed the START nuclear arms reduction treaty, which expires in 2009. STRAIN President George W. Bush and Putin say they are friends, but ties have been strained by Washington's plans for a missile defense shield in Europe, the war in Iraq, Kosovo's demand for independence and how to deal with Iran's nuclear program. Putin, who has sought to revive Russian influence after the chaos that followed the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, has accused the United States of seeking to dominate the world. Washington has expressed concerns over the erosion of democratic and media freedoms in Russia and urged Putin to ensure democratic elections. Russia holds parliamentary elections in December and presidential elections in March. The United States holds elections in November 2008. With the elections looming, neither side has shown any sign of backing down on missile defense, a cornerstone of Bush's national security policy. Russian officials said discussions over missile defense had been tough. "It has been a tough but serious discussion," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying. When asked if the U.S. and Russia had moved closer on missile defense, he said: "We will see from future meetings." Ahead of Putin's visit to Tehran next week, Rice is likely to be keen to press U.S. concerns about Iran. The United States and key EU nations, which suspect Iran is seeking to build nuclear bombs under the cover of its civilian nuclear program, are pushing for new U.N. Security Council sanctions to punish Iran for its failure to suspend uranium enrichment. Putin says there is no evidence that Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb. Iran says it is not developing nuclear bombs. (Additional reporting by Christian Lowe in Moscow, Andrew Gray in London and Arshad Mohammed in Shannon) |
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12 October 2007 |
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http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/12/2058530.htm?section=justin |
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US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the American plan to install parts of a missile defence system in eastern Europe will go ahead, despite strong objections from Russia. Dr Rice has visited the Russian capital Moscow with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates. There are many contentious issues for them to discuss with the Russians, including Iran and Kosovo. But it is likely top of the agenda will be the American plan to install interceptor missiles in Poland and a high-tech radar in the Czech Republic within the next five years. The Americans say it is to help protect Europe and the United States from any future military threat from countries such as Iran and North Korea. But the Russians believe the missile defence system is partly aimed at them. Meanwhile Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia could withdraw from the Cold War-era INF treaty, limiting medium and shorter-range missiles in Europe. Mr Putin says Russia will find it difficult to remain within the framework of a treaty unless it is expanded to include other countries. |
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12 October 2007 |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/world/europe/7040778.stm |
Russia has called on the US to "freeze" plans to employ missile defence facilities in eastern Europe. After high-level talks in Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia saw the shield as a "potential threat" and wanted to "neutralise" it. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice denied any threat to Russia, saying she wanted both countries to work together. Earlier, however, Russian President Vladimir Putin signalled he would not support American plans. He urged Washington "not to force" a planned deployment - of a radar in the Czech Republic and interceptors in Poland - on Russia. Mr Putin also threatened to abandon a key nuclear missile treaty which he said was outdated. After meeting President Putin Ms Rice went into a "2+2" meeting with her counterpart, Mr Lavrov, and the two countries' defence secretaries, Robert Gates and Anatoly Serdyukov. The atmosphere afterwards was glum, says the BBC's Richard Galpin in Moscow. It was clear the two sides had made little progress in tackling the increasing number of problems dogging their relationship. Mr Gates said he and Ms Rice had put several new ideas to the Russians, but indicated that they had not yet been accepted. "Our talks reflected the complex, multi-faceted relationship the US and Russia have," he said. "We remain eager to be open and full partners with Russia in missile defence... we discussed a range of proposals we hope they will accept." The US says it needs a missile defence system to counteract "rogue states" like Iran and North Korea. The Kremlin has asked the US why it cannot instead use Russian-operated early warning radar in Azerbaijan. "One day you and I may decide that missile defence systems can be deployed on the Moon, but before we get there the possibility of reaching an agreement may be lost because you will have implemented your own plans" Vladimir Putin US tries to bridge gap Mr Gates said while that radar might be used, it was not capable of guiding interceptor missiles. President Putin said at the start of the talks that it would be difficult to remain part of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty unless it was expanded to include more countries than just the US and Russia. The reason, he said, was that other countries were developing these kinds of weapons systems - including those close to Russia's borders. Analysts say President Putin's threat to withdraw from the treaty is yet another diplomatic move to pressurise the Americans. The treaty, which limits US and Russian short and medium range missiles, was signed 20 years ago and led to the elimination of almost 3,000 Russian and American missiles. Split on Iran Russia has also threatened to leave the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe if it is not ratified by all Nato nations. Russian defence analyst Alexander Goltz said this military agenda for the talks suited Mr Putin as it distracts his Western critics from the subjects of democracy and human rights. Mr Putin does not want any Western interference into his plans for continued political involvement when he has to stand down as president next March, Mr Goltz said. The US-Russian talks also covered the Iranian nuclear issue, after which Mr Lavrov criticised US sanctions and US hints about using military force against Iran, which he said "contradict our collective efforts" to negotiate a solution. Ms Rice and Mr Gates were in Moscow for two days of talks, which were also expected to cover Kosovo and a nuclear weapons treaty to succeed START, which expires in 2009.
US MISSILE DEFENCE: LONG RANGE THREAT PROTECTION
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