U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, right, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, left, attend a press conference.
Photo: Yury Gripas
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U.S. Submitted Written Proposals to Russia
The United States addressed Russia with official cooperation proposals related to the missile defense shield in Europe. One of them is a new initiative of Washington that is expected to persuade Russia’s president out of imposing the moratorium on the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty).
The proposals of the United States were mulled over in October at the Moscow talks of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, on the one hand, and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on the other hand.
Then, Russia demanded from the United States to execute the proposals in writing. The officials have declined to give any details of the documents to be canvassed by Rice and Lavrov Monday, on the threshold of the Mid.-East negotiations in Annapolis.
Approximately, the proposals in the list provide for integrating the missile defense systems of Russia and NATO to widen the coverage; authorizing Russia’s inspection of interceptors that the United States will station in Poland; shelving putting into operation the U.S. interceptors until it is finally confirmed that ballistic missiles of Iran are capable of reaching Europe.
According to a source with the diplomatic community of Russia, the Kremlin backs up shelving the operational status of the facilities but insists on sealing a binding treaty that will specify the respective provisions. In the United States, however, they aren’t ready for it yet.
www.kommersant.com
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