http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=112183

UNITED NATIONS -- (Reuters) Russia's U.N. ambassador suggested that U.S. misgivings about the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty could be addressed within the existing pact and without the amendments sought by Washington.

Russia has been alarmed by U.S. plans to set up a national anti-missile shield against potential attacks by "rogue states" and has so far rejected American offers to amend the ABM treaty, which bans the creation of such systems.

Ambassador Sergei Lavrov told a news conference on Monday that American concerns could be addressed in the context of adjustments to the ABM treaty signed in New York in September 1997. These included deployment of low-speed theatre missile defense systems.

"We are ready to address their concerns about the increased threats of missile proliferation," he said. "But this could be perfectly done at this stage in the context of 1997 New York agreement about so-called non-strategic ABM defenses."

But Lavrov, in rejecting the amendments proposed by Washington, said: "I want to make very clear that amendments to the ABM treaty, which would allow limited national anti-missile defense, would be against the core of the treaty, which prohibits such a defense and which also prohibits the creation of a basis for such defense."

His comments followed those of Russian Col.-Gen. Vladimir Yakovlev, commander of Moscow's Strategic Missile Forces, who said on Friday a joint commission could examine the threat from rogue states.

In response, U.S. State Department spokesman James Rubin said "the idea that they would want to work closely with us on defining the threat and then dealing with the threat would be welcome."

Lavrov again appealed to the United States and its allies to keep the ABM treaty intact or other strategic nuclear pacts would crumble, including the nuclear non-proliferation treaty or the nuclear test ban treaty.

"Those (U.S.) amendments would ruin the treaty, and if the treaty is ruined, you can safely forget about not only continuation of strategic arms reduction negotiations, but you can well witness the burial of the existing strategic arms limitation agreements," he said.

At the United Nations, Lavrov, along with the ambassadors of China and Belarus sponsored a resolution that calls for continued efforts to strengthen and preserve the 1972 treaty. It was adopted by a General Assembly committee on November 5, which assures its passage by full Assembly on December 1.

Lavrov said he was gratified that NATO nations did not join the United States in voting against the resolution, which he said indicated disapproval of American actions on the ABM.

The Nov. 5 vote was 54 to 4 with 73 abstentions. Voting against the resolutions, together with the United States, were Israel, Latvia and Micronesia. Thirteen of the 15 members of the European Union abstained while France and Ireland, voted for the resolution.

Home Page