http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010428/wl/russia_china_abm_dc_1.html

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia, China and three Central Asian states on Saturday issued a joint declaration attacking U.S. plans to build a national missile defense system.

The Russian and Chinese foreign ministers were joined by their counterparts from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, members of the so-called Shanghai Five group, in declaring support for the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM) prohibiting such systems.

``The ministers reconfirm their support for safeguarding and abiding by the 1972 ABM treaty as the cornerstone of strategic stability and a basis for reductions of strategic offensive weapons,´´ the group said in a communique at the end of talks in Moscow.

The ministers ``are against any attempts to undermine the treaty which would lead to unpredictable consequences for the cause of peace and security, start a chain reaction of proliferation of missiles and missile technologies.´´

Washington says it will abandon the ABM treaty unless it is modified to allow it to build a system which could intercept missiles fired at the United States by so-called ``rogue states´´ such as Iran or North Korea.

Under the ABM pact Russia and the United States may protect only one site each with such a system.

Russia and China, fearing a national U.S. missile defense will take the sting out of their own nuclear arsenals, have led the fight to preserve the treaty.

Some NATO members have expressed skepticism about the U.S. plans and President Bush is due to start consultations with Washington's European allies next week.

Foreign ministers from the Shanghai Five group, named after the Chinese city where its leaders first met, were holding talks in Moscow in preparation for the group's next summit in Shanghai in June. --