The United States said Friday that it could work with Russia to
develop a common missile defense system in order to clear Russia's
concerns about the US plan to deploy such a system in Europe.
"The answer to the problem that you've posed, seriously, is to
redefine the problem so that the answer is we and the Russians, and
perhaps NATO or NATO-Russia Council, work together to produce a
common system or a common network of systems which will benefit
everyone's security and also address Russian security concerns," US
Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried said at a briefing at the
State Department.
"If they (Russia) are part of a system, they can be much more
confident that it is not directed against them," Fried said.
"If the Russians are concerned that somehow 10 unarmed missiles
in Poland are a threat, let's discuss it. If they're concerned that
the initial missile deployment in Poland could be followed by
something else, we can discuss ways to address that concern," he
said.
The United States plans to base missile interceptors in Poland
and radar units in the Czech Republic as part of a project to
extend the missile defense system to Europe.
Russia has voiced strong opposition to the plan. However, the
United States has claimed the missile defense system is aimed
against states and groups in the Middle East that are seeking
weapons of mass destruction, not against Russia.?
(Xinhua News Agency October 6, 2007)
