LOS ANGELES, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Despite strong
opposition from Russia, the Bush administration has beefed up is efforts to
build a controversial missile defense system in eastern Europe, it was reported
Wednesday.
In addition to Russia's bitter reaction, the move
raised fears of a new arms race elsewhere in the world, said the Los Angeles
Times.
Under the system, the United States would base 10
interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar center in the Czech Republic, both
formerly part of the Soviet Bloc, according to the paper.
The project, to be discussed at a NATO meeting later
this month, could escalate a simmering diplomatic issue into a significant
international dispute, depending on Moscow's reaction and the administration's
next moves, said the paper.
A senior Pentagon official responsible for overseeing
the plan said in a briefing that the administration hopes to dampen Russian
opposition, but that Moscow would not be allowed to derail the project if no
agreement is reached with the Kremlin, according to the paper.
"We think there is a benefit to cooperating with
Russia; we think the threat is one that they face as well as one that we face,"
Eric S. Edelman, the undersecretary of Defense for policy, was quoted as saying.
"That being said, I don't think if, for some reason,
we're unable to reach a commonly agreed way ahead, that we would want to accede
to Russia being able to dictate what we do bilaterally with other countries," he
said.
Edelman had just returned from making the case for
the system in European capitals last week.
The missile defense system, which would be operated
by U.S. soldiers stationed in the Eastern European countries, has become one of
the thorniest points of contention between Russia and the United States, and
rhetoric has escalated since December, when Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates
gave the go-ahead to seek formal negotiations, the paper said.
The Bush administration has been pushing for a
European site to expand its missile defense system for several years as a hedge
against Iran. The current U.S. system, with interceptor missiles based in Alaska
and California, is considered useful mainly against the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea.
The missile defense project, however, is not popular
in European countries which have voiced fear that it could spark a new arms
race. Poland, ordinarily a staunch U.S. ally, is concerned that the plan would
spur Russia to upgrade and reconfigure troop placements and missile systems.
Russian President Vladimir V. Putin has warned of an
"inevitable arms race" if the U.S. proceeds. Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov, the chief
of Russia's missile forces, also warned that Moscow could resume building
intermediate and short-range missiles to target Poland and the Czech Republic if
those nations agreed to allow bases on their territory.
MOSCOW, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Russia denied on Saturday
reports that it will allow the United States to deploy anti-missile defense
system on its territory if the later would develop joint anti-missile defense
system along with it.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said that such reports were "incorrect" and did not reflect
Russia's position on the missile defense system. Full story
WASHINGTON, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Russia is welcomed to
join a planned U.S. missile defense system in Europe, a senior U.S. official
said Wednesday.
Henry A Obering, director of the Pentagon's Missile
Defense Agency, said at a press briefing that the United States is "very open to
Russian participation and invitation into collaboration on missile defense in
the broader sense and on any level, all the way down to specifics in terms of
potentially sharing data and radar data information." Full story
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