(L-R)US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov and Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov attend
the news conference after their talks in the "two-plus-two" format
in Moscow, Oct. 12, 2007. The two sides have failed to reach any
agreement on missile defense on Friday.(Xinhua Photo)
(L-R)US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov and Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov attend
the news conference after their talks in the "two-plus-two" format
in Moscow, Oct. 12, 2007.(Xinhua Photo)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L)
talks with Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov during the
news conference after the talks between Russian and US. foreign
ministers and defence ministers in the "two-plus-two" format in
Moscow, Oct. 12, 2007.(Xinhua Photo)
(L-R)US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov attend the news conference after their talks in the
"two-plus-two" format in Moscow, Oct. 12, 2007. (Xinhua
Photo)
Russia and the United States have failed to reach any agreement
on missile defense, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told
reporters after talks with senior Russian officials in Moscow on
Friday.
Talks had failed to overcome differences on U.S. plans to deploy
an anti-missile defense system in Central Europe and Russian
proposals to extend the START-1 (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty),
but a decision was made to continue discussions at an expert level,
Rice was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying.
Meanwhile, Rice said the United States is ready to discuss
Russian concerns regarding the missile shield in Europe as soon as
possible.
Rice and US Defense Secretary Robert Gates came to present the
US position at talks in the "two-plus-two" format that began in
Moscow on Friday afternoon. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov are participating in the
meeting on the Russian side.
The talks focused on missile defense, the Conventional Armed
Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty, and ways to further reduce offensive
arms after START-1 expires.
Russia refuses to give in to US missile defense and CFE demands.
Lavrov said that following the bilateral consultations, Russia
again urged the United States to freeze its plan to deploy the
missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Rice rejected the call, saying that related talks with Russia on
the issue could continue.
As a return, Lavrov said that Russia would be forced to take
steps to "neutralize" the threat posed by the US anti-missile
shield in Central Europe.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also on Friday asked the US to
abandon the missile defense plan, warning that it would hurt
relations with Moscow.
The United States has offered an alternative proposal on its
missile defense plan aimed at settling disputes, and Russia will
study it, the Russian foreign minister said.
"Today our American counterparts presented their return
proposal, aimed at finding a solution to the dispute," Lavrov
said.
Russia and the United States have agreed to draw up criteria to
determine what should be classed as a missile threat.
"If we manage to work out the criteria, it will become clear
that the third site (for a missile shield in Poland and the Czech
Republic) is not needed in the way that it was planned," Lavrov
said.
Moscow strongly opposes the US missile shield plans, considering
them a threat to its national security. Washington has insisted the
missile shield is intended to stave off the threat of attacks from
what it calls "rogue states."
The United States is concerned about Russia's declared intention
to withdraw from the CFE Treaty, US Secretary of Defense Robert
Gates said at a press conference after the talks.
Gates said he hoped the parties would be able to bridge their
differences and that specialists would work on finding a solution
to the problem.
However, Russia considers US proposals on salvaging the CFE
Treaty to be inadequate.
"We put forward this summer our proposals on saving this treaty,
suggesting how we could make it viable... Our American colleagues
gave us their proposals during the current Moscow talks. We have
voiced our opinion -- it is a step in the right direction, but we
consider it to be insufficient," Lavrov said, without specifying
details of the U.S. proposals.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared in July a moratorium
on the CFE Treaty, which limits Russian and NATO conventional
forces and heavy weaponry from the Atlantic to the Urals. No NATO
countries have ratified the treaty's amended version, and the
moratorium is to come into force later this year if Western
countries do not ratify the document.
Moscow considers the original CFE Treaty, signed in 1990 by 30
countries to reduce conventional military forces on the continent,
to be outdated since it does not reflect the dissolution of the
Warsaw Pact, the breakup of the Soviet Union, or recent NATO
expansion.
According to Lavrov, Russia and the United States will continue
their consultations on missile defense in Europe among their
foreign and defense ministers in six months in Washington.
"We have agreed that this format will deal with the practical
implementation of the initiatives, which our countries jointly
promote and implement on the international arena for the sake of
strategic stability," the Russian FM said.
(Xinhua News Agency October 13, 2007)
