'Russia against NATO missile proposal'

Russia's Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/166590.html

Russia's Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin says Moscow is against the alliance's proposal to set up two different missile systems, the NATO system and the Russian system.

The United States and Russia have been at loggerheads over a new anti-ballistic missile system for Europe, with Moscow calling for a shared control of the system, and Washington refusing to share the responsibility for protecting its member-states with any third party, a Press TV correspondent in Moscow reported Tuesday.

NATO favors two separate but coordinated missile defense systems, which include the NATO and Russian systems. However, Moscow insists on a European system together with the alliance, with joint centers for detecting threats and a joint decision-making procedure.

Meanwhile, Rogozin, who has recently been appointed as the Kremlin's special representative for missile defense talks with NATO member-states, frowned upon the idea on Tuesday.

"Russia should either join the European missile defense system, or receive guarantees that this system will be no threat to its strategic interests," he stated.

The Russian envoy further noted that Moscow sees no missile threats in northern Europe, and the two sides regard each other as potential threats, and that would prevent the cooperation from going forward.

"NATO and Russia must negotiate and agree to give up military planning against each other. This fundamental deal will lift all other problems," Rogozin added.

US President Barack Obama, on the other hand, has vehemently rejected shared control of the missile system on the grounds that it would give Russia responsibility for protecting NATO from nuclear missile threats.

The two sides have agreed to formulate terms for cooperation by June as a special group under Rogozin is set to be formed to coordinate missile defense talks with NATO.

Moscow is fiercely opposed to the deployment of the alliance's missile systems near its borders, saying it would threaten its national security and destroy the strategic balance of forces in Europe.

Kremlin has warned if NATO ploughs ahead with its plans and no agreement is reached with Moscow, it would develop its own missile systems.

US and Poland sign defence pact

Russia views the plan to station US anti-missile shield in Poland as a threat to its own nuclear deterrent [AP]

Source: Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/07/2010731815728252.html


Poland and the US have signed a deal for a future US anti-missile shield to be stationed in Poland, despite Russian objections.

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, witnessed the signing of the pact in the Polish city of Krakow, which purportedly is aimed at defending Europe against potential threats from Iran and elsewhere.

"The United States is deeply committed to Poland's security and sovereignty," Clinton said at a joint news conference with Radoslaw Sikorski, the Polish foreign minister, on Saturday.

"Today, by signing an amendment to the ballistic missile defence agreement, we are reinforcing this commitment."

Barack Obama, the US president, decided last year to scrap a plan by George Bush, his predecessor, to deploy a longer-range missile-defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic, opting instead to use smaller sea and land-based missile interceptors.

While there were reports last year that Poland was unhappy with Obama's decision to abandon the Bush plan, Sikorski said Poland preferred the new approach.

"When President Obama announced the new configuration of the system, we did say that we liked the new configuration better but I think you didn't believe us," he said.

"I hope now that we have signed the annex, I hope you do believe us."

Russian objections

Clinton sought to counter Russian objections to the plan, which it views as a danger to its own nuclear deterrent.

"This is not directed at Russia. It is a defensive system to protect our friends and allies and our deployed forces," she said.

"The real threats come from the development of short and medium-term missiles on a faster timetable from Iran."

Clinton refused to specify a date as to when the new defence project may be deployed on Polish soil, but defence experts have said it is likely to be ready in 2018.

The two countries also announced plans to co-operate on the exploitation of shale gas.

Clinton began her day by laying a wreath at a memorial to pay tribute to the victims of the April 10 air crash in Russia that killed 96 people, including Poland's president and its military commanders and central bank governor.

She was to end her visit to Krakow by giving a speech at the Community of Democracies, a 10-year-old inter-governmental group that aims to promote democracy and civil liberties.

Russia warns US on altering missile shield plans

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122602&sectionid=351020602

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has underlined Moscow's right to walk out of a nuclear disarmament treaty with the US should Washington alter its so-called missile shield defense system.

"Russia has the right to withdraw from the strategic nuclear weapons treaty if a quantitative and qualitative increase in US strategic missile defense significantly influences the effectiveness of Russian strategic nuclear forces," Lavrov stressed on Tuesday.

Earlier, the foreign minister said that the revised US plans, which comprise of sea-based interceptors and shorter range land-based missiles, pose no threat to the country's strategic interests or nuclear forces in their current form.

Lavrov's comments come ahead of the signing of a successor to the START I strategic arms reduction treaty that expired on December 5.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his US counterpart Barack Obama will meet on Thursday to pen the new accord in the Czech capital, Prague.

The missile shield system, introduced under former US president George W. Bush, came at a time when diplomatic relations between the two nuclear powers were at their post-Cold War record low.

However, amid bilateral efforts to rebuild trust, the Obama administration shelved the former plans that envisaged land-based missile systems in ex-Soviet states.