Russia's Diplomats Regret US' Attempts to Build Global Anti-Missile Defence

The Foreign Ministry of Russia stated today that 'Moscow is regretfully watching the activation of attempts in the US to build the so-called global anti-missile defence', and further: 'Now that a decision has been made to deploy, by 2004, several strategic interceptors supported from space, the carrying out of these plans has entered a new destabilising phase'.

Russia's Foreign Ministry emphasises that Russia stays with the estimates dating back to the time when the US unilaterally abandoned the fundamental disarmament treaty concerning anti-missile defence of 1972. The complete abandonment of the principles of that treaty 'may only lead to strategic destabilisation and a new senseless arms race, including the proliferation of mass destruction weapons and the means of their delivery, and the weakening of the actions countering modern threats, first of all international terrorism'.

Russia's diplomats also remind of the fact that, during the latest summits, the US accepted a different, positive programme of the further large-scale cuts of nuclear weaponry, struggle against terrorism, and curbing the proliferation of mass destruction weapons. 'What was important was that truly necessary and achievable cooperation as concerned non-strategic missile defence, both bilateral and multi-lateral within the Russia-NATO council, was a significant part of that joint programme.'

Russia's Foreign Ministry said that Moscow counted on that the US would make that exact programme of strategic partnership their priority and bring its friends and partners into that programme instead of into destabilising strategic, including space, arms race.