Russian Foreign Minister - “Scrap Your Missile Defense”
MOSCOW - Russia’s foreign minister laid out a tough negotiating position on America’s missile defense plans Thursday ahead of a visit by President Bush, saying the best solution would be for the U.S. to scrap the idea altogether.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russian experts were studying the latest U.S. plans—intended to ease Russian concerns about the proposed missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic—but he reaffirmed Moscow’s call for Washington to drop them.
“We are convinced that the best way to assuage Russia’s concerns … will be to abandon such plans and turn to a truly collective project,” Lavrov told reporters.
Earlier this month, the U.S. secretaries of state and defense visited Moscow with new proposals that would allow Russia to closely monitor the prospective missile defense sites.
Lavrov previously has said the proposals reflect the U.S. recognition of Russia’s concerns but that Moscow needs to study them in details before replying.
Bush plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Putin’s Black Sea residence on April 6 to try to resolve the missile defense dispute.
(AP)
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