The U.S. State Department indicated yesterday that it hoped to conduct talks with Russia on missile defense plans for Europe before the Bush administration’s term in office ends in January, Reuters reported (see GSN, Nov. 10).
Bush officials have sought to allay Russian fears that Russian missiles are the intended target of a planned radar base in the Czech Republic and 10 missile interceptors in Poland. The system is meant to defend against nations such as Iran, Washington has argued.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested last week that Moscow would wait for U.S. President-elect Barack Obama to take office before pressing ahead with serious diplomacy on missile defense and strategic arms control.
However, acting Undersecretary of State John Rood is set to meet with Russian diplomats at some point in the near future, according to agency spokesman Robert Wood.
“We want to be clear and say that we remain interested in talking to Russia about missile defense and that they have nothing to fear from our missile defense system that we would like to set up in Europe,” Wood said. “We encourage the Russians very strongly to engage with us on missile defense.”
Washington has offered a number of measures, including allowing Russian personnel access to the missile shield sites, to address Moscow’s suspicions about the system. Russian officials, meanwhile, have proposed using existing radar stations in place of the Czech site and delaying deployment of the missile interceptors. Neither offer has gained traction.
Should the United States move ahead with its plan, Russia would deploy short-range missiles near Poland, President Dmitry Medvedev said last week (Sue Pleming, Reuters/Yahoo!News, Nov. 10).
"I am not sure that they are really willing to sit and negotiate, or to cooperate with us on missile defense. It seems like every time we put forth a proposal, they reject it,” Wood said. “And so we encourage the Russians strongly to engage with us on missile defense. And again, as we have said over and over again, this is not targeted at Russia and its strategic forces” (David Gollust, Voice of America, Nov. 10).