Mobile Russia, US in talks on new anti-missile shield: Lavrov 2009-Oct-13 19:04:44
MOSCOW: Russia will continue talks with the United States on a new missile defense system, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.
"Today we exchanged views on how these consultations are developing. They will be continued," Lavrov told a press conference after talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The missile defense shield should be a common cause for Russia and the United States and the two countries should work more closely in this regard, Clinton said.
US President Barack Obama announced on September 17 that Washington would abandon a Bush-era missile defense shield program while initiating a "phased, adaptive approach" in East Europe.
The Bush administration had planned to deploy 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic as part of its European missile shield to protect its European allies from missile threats from "rogue states."
Russia strongly opposed the Bush-era plan, saying it posed a threat to its national security.
Under the new plan, Washington would replace the land-based facilities in eastern Europe with sea-based systems.