Russia: US missile shield scrapping 'good news'

MOSCOW, Sept 17, 2009 (AFP) - Russia on Thursday said any decision by the United States to scrap its Eastern Europe missile shield would be good news and would remove a key barrier to improving ties between the former Cold War foes.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Washington intends to shelve plans to place the missile defence facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic, an issue that had become a major source of US-Russian dispute.

"If the United States is really intending to refrain from its plans to place missile defence facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic then that is of course good news," a Russian foreign ministry source told the Interfax news agency.

"If such a decision (to scrap the shield) is taken it would be a positive fact which would be in line with the development of US-Russian relations," another foreign ministry source told the ITAR-TASS news agency.

The Wall Street Journal said the decision was to be announced after the end of a 60-day review ordered by US President Barack Obama, overturning the plans set in place by his predecessor George W. Bush.

There was no immediate comment from the Pentagon.

Along with Moscow's August 2008 war with Georgia, the missile defence dispute was one of the issues that plunged US-Russian relations to a post-Cold War low in the final months of the Bush administration.

However the tone of bilateral exchanges has improved dramatically under Obama, with both sides vowing to "reset" their ties and Russia expressing confidence that the new administration would scrap the missile plan.

"Of course, if such a decision is taken the agenda for the reset of relations will grow," said the head of the Russian upper house's foreign policy committee, Mikhail Margelov.

He told ITAR-TASS that Russia had adopted an "uncompromising position" on the issue and there was "no vital necessity" for the United States to spend money on the facilities.

Interfax said that the foreign ministry now was awaiting confirmation of the report from top US officials.

"We are expecting official statements from which it would be possible to make definite conclusions," the source said. "This means statements by high-ranking representatives of the US administration."

Moscow had repeatedly expressed fury with the plans to build a radar base in the Czech Republic and install interceptor missiles in Poland, saying that they threatened Russia's national security.

The United States had always denied the facilities were focused on Russia, saying the plan was aimed at countering what it described as a missile threat from "rogue states" such as Iran.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said last year that short-range Iskander missiles would be installed in Russia's western Kaliningrad enclave to "neutralize" the threat posed by the US missile defence system.


by Stephen Collinson
(c) 2009 AFP