Deutsche Presse-Agentur
March 2, 2007 Friday 5:03 PM EST

Caucasus nations deny speculation about US missile shield

DPA POLITICS Russia Defence Caucasus USA Caucasus nations deny
speculation about US missile shield Moscow
Officials in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia on
Friday denied any existing plans to house elements of a proposed US
missile shield, after a US general said Washington "would like" to
place a radar station in the Caucasus.

In Moscow, meanwhile, despite the denials from the Caucasus
republics, US Lieutenant General Henry Obering’s comment that a radar

facility in the Caucasus would be "very useful" sparked outcry.

Following Obering’s remarks Thursday in Brussels, the Azeri
Defence Ministry said plans to house the US radar system on its
territory "do not correspond to reality."

In Yerevan, a defence spokesman said Armenia had not received any
official requests from Washington, according to Russian media.
Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili ruled out the idea
Washington had spoken to Tbilisi about the matter.

Georgian lawmakers, though, left open the question of housing a
facility in future, with parliamentarian Nika Rurua telling
reporters, "If the United States needs to place the system in
Georgia, the Georgian leadership will look into that question."

Moscow has become vigorously opposed to Washington’s missile-
shield plans in the last month, with military officials threatening
to aim rockets at possible facilities in Poland and the Czech
Republic.

The US has maintained that the shield would be targeted at so-
called rogue states like Iran and North Korea and would be
ineffective at stopping a Russian attack.

The spectre of radar facilities in the Caucasus, however, a
formerly Soviet area that Russia considers part of its historical
sphere of influence, prompted stiff reactions from lawmakers and
military officials Friday in Moscow.

"We already have everything necessary to adequately answer to
these facilities,"Russian Air Force Commander General Vladimir
Mikhailov was quoted by Itar-Tass as saying. "They have a lot of
money. Let them waste it,"the general added.

Vladimir Pekhtin, a deputy speaker of Russia’s lower house of
parliament, said the shield would alter the military balance in
Europe and "not aid the strengthening of strategic and partnerly
relations between Moscow and Washington,"Interfax news agency
reported.

US President George W Bush has spoken for years about installing a
missile-defence shield across Europe and the US.

The decision to house elements of the shield in former Eastern
bloc nations, Poland and the Czech Republic, however, has caused
Moscow to bristle recently saying among others that it had not been
consulted by Washington.

During a meeting with NATOallies in Brussels Friday, Obering said
he was surprised by Moscow’s reaction, Interfax reported.

"We have been conducting regular consultations with Moscow for
about a year, and such a harsh reaction from the Russians was
unexpected,"the report quoted him as saying.

"We’re counting on cooperating with Russia in the creation of our
entire missile-defence shield,"he added.
Mar 0207 1703 GMT