BRATISLAVA, Feb. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivnaov on Thursday signed an agreement here on controls covering the proliferation of shoulder-fired rocket launchers.

    A joint statement issued here said the officials agreed on joint cooperation to control the production and sales of man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) that can threaten global aviation if obtained by criminals, terrorists and other non-state actors.

    One goal of this arrangement is to facilitate the destruction of MANPADS that are obsolete or in excess of legitimate defense requirements, the two governments said in their statement.

    It will also allow the two countries to share information about MANPADS sales and transfers to third countries, the statement said.

    "This arrangement represents a significant step forward in our strategy to coordinate efforts in countering the global proliferation of MANPADS. It serves as an example of what the United States and Russia can accomplish by working together on such vital issues," the statement stressed.

    The agreement between the two countries came as US President George W. Bush met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bratislava for their first summit since Bush began his second term in office. Enditem