Moscow - Russia and Poland's foreign ministers were meeting
in Moscow for a second round of talks on missile defence Tuesday
after a recent push by the United States to win support for its plans
to base the system in Eastern Europe.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said there was 'a lot to
be discussed' ahead of meetings with his Polish counterpart Witold
Waszczykowski, citing the intensified international dialogue on
missile defence last week at the NATO summit and in talks US
President George W Bush.
Despite momentum in winning NATO backing of the US missile shield
and sealing an agreement with the Czech Republic to locate a radar
there, Bush's offer for compromise was rebuffed by Russian President
Vladimir Putin in one-on-one meetings Sunday.
Russia views the US shield, planned to protect against 'rogue'
states such as Iran, as a menace to its security and nuclear
deterrent.
But Putin softened his opposition Sunday saying Russia could
participate in 'a global missile defence with equal democratic-style
access to managing such a system.'
If the plans go ahead, Putin told reporters that Russia would
'insist that the system ... (functions) with the help of experts that
should be present at those sites on a permanent basis.'
The proposal to allow Russian monitoring of the missile sites as
part of a US package to appease Moscow's concerns has so far been
rejected by Czech and Polish officials.
Waszczykowski said earlier that Poland was ready to discuss
Russian access to the US base but ruled out allowing Moscow a
permanent presence in Poland.
USA
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