Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov (R) delivers a speech as he sits next to China's Ambassador Li Baodong looks at the U.N. Conference on Disarmament at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva February 12, 2008.
Photo: Reuters
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Russia, China Urge U.N. to Ban Space Weapons
Russia and China have proposed to the United Nations to ban deployment of weapons in outer space, PRIME-TASS reported February 12 with reference to RF Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who presented the respective proposal at the U.N. Conference on Disarmament at the United Nations European Headquarters in Geneva.
The treaty spells out not only the ban on deployment of any weapons in outer space but also the ban on using (or threatening to use) combat force against space facilities. So far, Lavrov said, international laws don’t ban from stationing space weapons but for the weapons of mass destruction.
Tensions between Russia and the United States further aggravated in the recent years and Washington always claimed it wouldn’t back up the proposal of Russia and China. Moreover, in Washington, they are elaborating a bill on developing a space defense strategy and on deploying the shields required to ensure the freedom of space actions for the United States.
Washington accelerated its Space Situational Awareness (SSA) project after China tested new anti-satellite missile in January of 2007. The SSA is aimed at protecting the U.S. satellite constellation and other space assets from anti-satellite weapons.
The United States benefits from over 400 space satellites, Russia has roughly a hundred and China operates more than 30.
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