RUSSIA PROPOSES BROAD MISSILE DEFENSE ASSESSMENT IN EUROPE
RIA Novosti, Russia
April 4 2007
YEREVAN, April 4 (RIA Novosti) – Russia is inviting EU and CIS
countries to conduct a joint assessment of potential missile threats
and is hoping to resume missile defense dialogue with NATO, the
foreign minister said Wednesday.
"We agree that we need a thorough and joint assessment of
technological, strategic and political issues related to European
missile defense, said Sergei Lavrov, adding that Russia is ready to
participate in these efforts.
The issue of the European missile shield has led to heated debates
following the U.S. proposal earlier this year to deploy elements of
its missile defense in Poland and the Czech Republic, citing possible
threats from Iran or North Korea as a reason for the program.
Speaking at the Yerevan State University in the capital of Armenia,
the minister said that Russia had never opposed joint efforts in
preventing potential threats, but these efforts must be authentically
collective and the threats must be real.
"Any unilateral moves in the sphere of missile defense should be seen
as attempts to split Europe," Lavrov said.
"This is the reason why we regard the unilateral decision to place
elements of the U.S. missile defense in Central and Eastern Europe
as a potential risk to Russia and the whole of Europe," he said.
Lavrov reiterated that the attempts of a single nation to ensure
its own security at the expense of others is an illusion and nothing
could substitute international cooperation in such a sensitive sphere.
"That is why we are proposing to start a joint assessment of potential
nuclear and missile threats to Europe, Russia and our neighbors in the
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)," the Russian minister said.
At the same time, Lavrov expressed hope that a spoken agreement between
U.S. and Russian Presidents George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin last
week to discuss in detail U.S. plans "would allow the participants
to resume collective dialogue and cooperation between Russia and the
NATO on missile defense."
U.S. plans to deploy elements of the missile shield in Central Europe
are expected to cost $1.6 billion over the next five years. The program
will later be expanded to include sea-based missiles and space-based
missile tracking systems.
Russia sees the prospective deployment as a threat to its own national
security, and fears the base may trigger a new arms race.
On March 28, the Czech government confirmed that it will begin
official talks with the U.S. on the deployment of the system on its
territory. The negotiations, which will start as soon as possible,
will last through to the end of 2007.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
