Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
Voice of America is funded by the US Federal Government and content it
exclusively produces is in the public domain.
October 12, 2007

Putin Tells Rice, Gates Not to Push Missile Defense
---------------------------------------------------

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=19D62F9:A6F02AD83191E16069AC3E76D2B368BE9574F7DCC14957C0 Russian President
tells US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary
Robert Gates his country might pull out of treaty limiting
intermediate-range missiles unless it is expanded to cover other
countries with nuclear weapons





Russian President Vladimir Putin (r) shakes hands with U.S. Defense
Secretary Robert Gates (l) as U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza
Rice, center, looks on, 12 Oct 2007

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the United States to back
off plans for a missile defense system in eastern Europe and warned
that his country might withdraw from a key missile treaty.

Mr. Putin told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense
Secretary Robert Gates his country might pull out of the
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which bars such missiles,
unless it is expanded to cover other countries with nuclear weapons.

He did not specify the countries in question but called the treaty
outdated because other countries are developing the kinds of weapons
that it covers.

Later in closed-door talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
called for a freeze on the U.S. missile defense plan and warned that
his country will take measures to counter it.

The two sides agreed to further discussions, but Secretary Rice also
said the United States will continue talks with Poland and the Czech
Republic on the project.

The U.S. has said it needs the missile defense system to counter
threats from states such as Iran and North Korea.

Mr. Putin has proposed that Russia and the U.S. cooperate on a system
at an existing former Soviet missile radar site in Azerbaijan. But Mr.
Gates said that radar will not be fully able to cope with the task.

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty bans both Russian and
U.S. missiles with a range between 500 and 5,500 kilometers in Europe.

The U.S.-Russian discussions also are expected to include other issues
such as Iran, Kosovo and Russia's threat to drop out of the
Conventional Forces in Europe treaty.

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




.