Source:
Associated PressRussia Wants Freeze on U.S. Missile PlanBy STEVE GUTTERMAN, Associated Press Writer
Saturday, June 9, 2007
(06-09) 07:13 PDT MOSCOW, Russia (AP) --
Russia's foreign minister urged the United States on Saturday
to freeze plans for missile defense installations in eastern
Europe during negotiations and warned that the proposal —
intended to serve as a buffer against Iran — could backfire.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's comments, reported
by Russian news agencies, suggested the Kremlin is unhappy
that the United States has continued discussions on its plans
to deploy facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic following
Russia's counteroffer of joint use of a radar station in
Azerbaijan.
"It's necessary for Washington, at a minimum, to freeze the
deployment of missile defense elements in Europe for a period
of study and negotiations on the Russian proposal," ITAR-Tass
quoted Lavrov as saying.
Lavrov also warned that the U.S. missile defense plans could
hamper efforts to ease international concerns about Iran's
nuclear program, RIA-Novosti reported. The United States has
said the missile defense shield is intended to protect against
a potential Iranian threat.
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/06/09/international/i065610D66.DTL
Related:
Russian FM urges US to freeze all ABM work in Europe - ITAR-TASS