MISSILE DEFENSE POLITICAL BARGAINING
by Igor Plugatarev
Translated by A. Ignatkin

Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, May 17, 2007, pp. 1, 4
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
May 18, 2007 Friday

WILL RUSSIA AND THE UNITED STATES USE THE GABALA RADAR TOGETHER?;
Seeing that Washington is determined to install missile defense
elements in the Czech Republic and Poland, Moscow has started a
political bargaining process. Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Vasily
Istratov has suggested joint Russian-American use of the Gabala radar.

Seeing that Washington is determined to install missile defense
elements in the Czech Republic and Poland, Moscow has started a
political bargaining process. This is how experts evaluate the
statement made by Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Vasily Istratov
on the possibility of joint Russian-American use of the Gabala radar.

"The United States has said repeatedly that it could use information
from Russian radars, including the one we lease in Azerbaijan," the
diplomat said. He added that there is no point in trying to guess
what the Kremlin will decide, because "everything depends on what the
United States will offer." As for the request from Washington to use
the Gabala radar together, Istratov considers it a possibility.

The radar in question is an element of the Russian missile launch
detection system. "The Gabala center controls the territory within the
distance of 6,000 kilometers – right to northern Africa an southwestern
Asia," Strategic Missile Forces former Chief-of-Staff Colonel General
Viktor Yesin said. "Moscow and Baku signed the accord for a decade
in 2002. Annual rent amounts to $1.44 million."

Commenting on the diplomat’s words, Yesin said, "In fact, it is not
anything new. Russia offered the Americans joint use of the Gabala
radar long ago – as a means of monitoring Iran the Pentagon regards
as a menace. What matters is that the Americans’ agreement will negate
the necessity of building a similar radar in the Czech Republic."

Yesin agrees with Istratov that the United States may bring the
matter up officially. "Implementing the project is possible within the
framework of the memorandum on establishing an international launch
information exchange center, which the presidents of Russia and the
United States signed in 2000… In legal terms, there is absolutely
nothing to prevent the United States from accepting the offer. It
would take political will, nothing more."

"Should the Pentagon agree to come to Gabala, it will become even more
difficult for it – more difficult than it already is – to convince
Russia of the necessity to build an analogous radar installation in
the Czech Republic," Yesin said. "Besides, Russia will surely insist
on the joint use on its own terms – something like: here is the Gabala
radar for you, now drop all your plans for Eastern Europe."

It is clear as well that the joint use of the Gabala radar would
render Washington’s plans to build a radar in Georgia redundant.

Lieutenant-General Henry Obering said in Brussels on March 1 that
the United States intended to build a radar in the Caucasus. He did
not say where (in Azerbaijan, Armenia, or Georgia) but there was no
need to. The Pentagon needs Georgia for that because there already
is a radar in Azerbaijan and Armenia is Russia’s ally and member of
the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Russia was clearly nettled by Obering’s words and US Ambassador
to Georgia John Tefft announced the following day (March 2) that
Washington was not planning construction of radars in this country.

Even Obering said that the United States had not approached countries
of the region with the idea.

Georgian politicians began inviting the Americans in all earnest. "A
radar in the Caucasus would enable the Americans to monitor test
launches in Kapustin Yar, something they have been aspiring to do,"
Yesin said. It was on only May 4 that Georgian Foreign Minister
Gela Bezhuashvili said that "no negotiations are under way over
establishment of missile defense systems on the territory of Georgia."