Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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April 19, 2007

NATO: Europe Faces Missile Threat, Moscow Appears to Reject
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Cooperation
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1720B12:A6F02AD83191E16010FD6A52D43108FC9574F7DCC14957C0 Alliance spokesman
talked to reporters in Brussels after top US officials briefed
representatives of NATO countries and Russia on  US plan to deploy
controversial missile defense system in Europe The NATO allies have
agreed that Europe faces a missile threat and have backed a U.S. offer
to cooperate with Russia on defense against such weapons.

An alliance spokesman, James Appathurai, says all 26 NATO countries
agreed that Europe faces the threat, noting that some called it a
growing danger. He spoke to reporters in Brussels after top U.S.
officials briefed representatives of alliance countries and Russia on
a U.S. plan to deploy a controversial missile defense system in
Europe.

But Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, in comments in the
Siberian city of Yekaterinburg, said he sees no reason for discussing
such cooperation. In a separate interview with London's Financial
Times newspaper, Ivanov said such states as Iran and North Korea will
not soon have intercontinental ballistic missiles and said the U.S.
plan must be aimed at Russia.

Some NATO countries have urged a broadening of the plan to cover
members in southern Europe, such as Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria and parts
of Romania, not covered under the proposed shield.

The United States has insisted the system is aimed at defense against
what it calls rogue states such as Iran and North Korea.

The proposed U.S. shield would include 10 missile interceptors in
Poland and radar scanners in the Czech Republic.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.


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