Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) attends the NATO foreign ministers informal meeting in Oslo April 26, 2007. Russia's proposal to the United States to use jointly a radar in Azerbaijan makes it unnecessary for Washington to build a missile shield in Eastern Europe, Lavrov said on Saturday.
(REUTERS/Stian Lysberg Solum/Scanpix)
Russia says its shield offer contradicts U.S. plan
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's proposal to the United States to use jointly a radar in Azerbaijan makes it unnecessary for Washington to build a missile shield in Eastern Europe, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday.
President Vladimir Putin has suggested to his counterpart George W. Bush that both sides could use the Russian-rented Qabala radar station in Azerbaijan. The U.S. plans to place parts of its missile shield in the Czech Republic and Poland where Moscow says it will threaten its security.
"This (Russian) proposal makes (U.S. missile shield) plans unnecessary," Lavrov told journalists, rejecting at the same time an idea that Moscow could take part in the U.S. missile shield system.
"To suppose that we will take part in building such a potential which ... creates a threat to us is wishful thinking."
"Joint use of information collected by this (Qabala) station would allow the U.S. to give up plans of deploying elements of its missile shield in Europe as well as plans of deploying some components in space," Lavrov said.
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