Russian President Vladimir Putin puts on headphones as he travels by air.
Photo: Reuters
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London Apprehensive of Moscow Military Sentiment
The International Institute for Strategic Studies launched in London February 5, 2008 its Military Balance 2008 report, which assesses the military capabilities and defense economies of 170 countries worldwide. The masterminds of the report apprehend that Russia may withdraw from the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty, which is the cornerstone of post-Cold war European security.
The next target of Moscow, warned the IISS Chief Executive John Chipman could be the Treaty of 1987 eliminating short/mid-range missiles. This vital document was signed by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev and cleared Europe of mid-range missiles. President Putin has suspended the CFE treaty already and Russia is predicted to formally pull out of it this year.
The combination of these two withdrawals, Europe’s experts caution, will enable Moscow to create a new generation of mid-range nuclear missiles capable of hitting Europe. What’s more, Russia is free to deploy its troops along the border of any neighboring state of Europe.
“The end of CFE Treaty, the cornerstone of post-Cold war European security, could have negative consequences for Europe," John Chipman said. "It will abolish an important confidence-building mechanism - including the exchange of data and an inspection regime - and introduce new tensions between Russia and its neighbors, particularly if Russia decides to redeploy its troops closer to NATO member states."
Another concern of the west is continuous growth of Russia’s military budget. According to IISS, Moscow spent $70 billion for military purpose past year. The amount is forecasted to step up by at least 23 percent by 2010.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Feb. 07, 2008
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