RUSSIA: President Vladimir Putin and Czech President Vaclav Klaus discuss proposed US missile shield

Record ID: 1537656

  • Title: RUSSIA: President Vladimir Putin and Czech President Vaclav Klaus discuss proposed US missile shield
  • Date: 30th April 2007
  • Summary: JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION PUTIN AND KLAUS DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN SAYING: "We see no arguments for deploying the missile shield in Europe, there is no reason for this. In order for a missile to reach Europe (from Iran) the range should be 5,800 km. Iran, against which this system is allegedly being deployed, does not have such a (long-range) missile, and will not have such a missile in the foreseeable future. And to say the system is to defend against terrorists, is simply funny, what kind of terrorists? They use different methods, and the threat from terrorists should be eliminated not through confrontation, but through cooperation among civilised states. We simply do not see a basis for this. But, such a system can monitor Russian territory as far as the Ural mountains. This system can monitor our nuclear missile capability, if we do not take appropriate steps. And of course we will do this to ensure our security." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) CZECH PRESIDENT VACLAV KLAUS SAYING (NOTE - THIS IS TAKEN FROM A RUSSIAN TRANSLATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CZECH): "One of our aims was to explain the reason behind the deployment of a missile shield on our territory and to present the Czech point of view on this. As you can see from the comments made by the president, we did not succeed." (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) CZECH PRESIDENT VACLAV KLAUS SAYING (NOTE - THIS IS TAKEN FROM A RUSSIAN TRANSLATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CZECH): "But I tried my best to assure the president that from the Czech side, the deployment does not present a threat to the Russian Federation." DELEGATIONS AND REPORTERS PUTIN AND KLAUS SHAKING HANDS AND LEAVING
  • Embargoed: 15th May 2007 16:59
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations,Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVA6M5R3W6XOP1XS7D2PCB8RSBV0
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: 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 (April 27).
    "We see no arguments for deploying the missile shield in Europe, there is no reason for this. In order for a missile to reach Europe (from Iran) the range should be 5,800 km. Iran, against which this system is allegedly being deployed, does not have such a (long-range) missile, and will not have such a missile in the foreseeable future. And to say the system is to defend against terrorists, is simply funny, what kind of terrorists? They use different methods, and the threat from terrorists should be eliminated not through confrontation, but through cooperation among civilised states. We simply do not see a basis for this. But, such a system can monitor Russian territory as far as the Ural mountains. This system can monitor our nuclear missile capability, if we do not take appropriate steps. And of course we will do this to ensure our security," Putin told reporters at a joint news conference with Klaus in Moscow.
    Russia views the U.S. scheme to base 10 missile interceptors in Poland and radar in the Czech Republic from 2012 as a major threat to its national security. Washington said the system is needed to defend against so-called rogue states.
    Moscow's top brass say the Missile Shield does not pose any immediate military threat for Russia. But politicians say the U.S. plan could disrupt the European stability and fuel a new Cold War-style arms race.
    Speaking at a news conference with Klaus, Putin compared the missile shield plan with the deployment of U.S. Pershing-2 missiles in Western Europe in the early 1980s, which triggered a bitter diplomatic crisis in the final years of the Cold War.
    Klaus told reporters he had tried to explain the Czech position on the missile shield plan to the Russian president.
    "One of our aims was to explain the reason behind the deployment of a missile shield on our territory and to present the Czech point of view on this. As you can see from the comments made by the president, we did not succeed," said the Czech president.
    In a sign of growing tensions, Putin announced in a speech on Thursday (April 26) that Russia is freezing its commitments under the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty, a deal hammered out at the end of the Cold War to maintain the regional strategic balance.
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