Russian Defence Minister: Us Withdrawal From Abm Treaty Is A Mistake

During his talks with UK foreign secretary Jack Straw, Russian defence minister Sergei Ivanov said that Moscow considered the US unilateral withdrawal from the 1972 ABM Treaty a mistake. At the same time, the sides expressed the understanding of the US right to do so in accordance with the Treaty's provisions. According to a UK foreign office spokesman, the Russian side stressed that the US withdrawal would not affect Russia's national security, however, it arouses Moscow's concern over the preservation of the non-proliferation regime. Fight against international terrorism, strategic stability and the Russia-NATO relations were at the heart of the Ivanov-Straw meeting in London on Friday morning. The talks mostly focused on the situation around Afghanistan and, in particular, on UN international peace-keeping mission. Jack Straw expressed gratitude to the Russian side for its active support for the anti-terror campaign in Afghanistan and Russia's active role in the UN Security Council during the consideration of the resolution on Afghanistan. According to the British spokesman, the two ministers discussed Tony Blair's initiative on forming new relations between Russia and NATO. He pointed out to the fact that Russia and NATO were already cooperating on a number of important issues, the spokesman remarked.