Friday, April 27, 2007
US missile shield plan a threat, says Putin
Many experts believe that Iran is developing a missile with a range between 1,200-1,900 miles, which would enable it to hit much of Europe. Iran's apparent nuclear bomb program is sponsored by nuclear assistance given by Russia. For this reason a shield from missiles in Europe could make sense, as could Russia's apparent intolerance of it.
The news that Russia may suspend its compliance with the amended 1999 Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) is nothing new, given that for the past two years, senior Russian diplomats have repeatedly threatened to withdraw from that treaty completely.
It may also be significant that Putin's announcement was made at a time when both Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli are abroad, and shortly after Saakashvili unveiled plans for "resolving" the conflicts with Abkhazia and South Ossetia by offering terms that both sides are almost certain to reject. Such a rejection could in turn be adduced as fueling the Georgian argument that as diplomatic means have failed, the only way to bring those regions back under the control of the central Georgian government is by force. Putin's April 26 statement could herald a Russian military buildup in the North Caucasus intended to deter Tbilisi from any such military incursion.
Elements of the proposed U.S. missile shield to be based in Poland and the Czech Republic will be used to track Russian military activities, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Czech President Vaclav Klaus on Friday.
IMO: Why should Russian military activities not be tracked in an open society ? And to avoid blown up by Iranian bombs sounds like a good idea, for Europe anyway.
The news that Russia may suspend its compliance with the amended 1999 Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) is nothing new, given that for the past two years, senior Russian diplomats have repeatedly threatened to withdraw from that treaty completely.
It may also be significant that Putin's announcement was made at a time when both Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli are abroad, and shortly after Saakashvili unveiled plans for "resolving" the conflicts with Abkhazia and South Ossetia by offering terms that both sides are almost certain to reject. Such a rejection could in turn be adduced as fueling the Georgian argument that as diplomatic means have failed, the only way to bring those regions back under the control of the central Georgian government is by force. Putin's April 26 statement could herald a Russian military buildup in the North Caucasus intended to deter Tbilisi from any such military incursion.
Elements of the proposed U.S. missile shield to be based in Poland and the Czech Republic will be used to track Russian military activities, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Czech President Vaclav Klaus on Friday.
IMO: Why should Russian military activities not be tracked in an open society ? And to avoid blown up by Iranian bombs sounds like a good idea, for Europe anyway.
# posted by uv : 8:07 PM
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