BMD deadlock

MOSCOW, June 17 (UPI) -- Summer has just begun, and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency has not yet started the scheduled two comprehensive tests of its missile defense system. However, Russian politicians and military leaders have already started talking about adverse consequences of its deployment.

On June 2, Igor Neverov, director of the Foreign Ministry's Department of North America, said they were not at all sure it would be possible to come to terms with the United States on missile defense. He emphasized that Russia is not content with the U.S.-proposed degree of openness on the third positioning area in the Czech Republic and Poland.

Neverov said: "These measures (designed to prove that missile interceptors in Poland and radar in the Czech Republic are not directed against Russia) are under discussion, but for the time being we do not even understand what we are being offered -- not in principle, but in practical terms. Hence, it is not clear how we can come to terms on this basis."

Lt. Gen. Yevgeny Buzhinsky, deputy chief of the Russian Defense Ministry's main department of international cooperation, said in late May, "The deployment of the U.S. missile defense third positioning area ... is clearly directed against Russia."

Meanwhile, the spring talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush -- their last meeting as heads of state -- in the southern Russian resort of Sochi seemed to have paved the way for mutual understanding on key aspects of missile defense.

At any rate, top Russian diplomats noted the Americans' readiness for dialogue, and welcomed U.S. efforts to "reduce to the minimum our concerns about missile defense plans." The military stopped lashing out at the United States. Nor did they criticize Europe for its willingness to host U.S. missile interceptors and radar installations.

But now we are back to where we started. Missile defense is a headache for our politicians and military figures that just won't go away. Moreover, it will not be cured by any talks or consultations.

The situation is not that complicated. Let's start with the politicians. They have a sacred cow, which cannot be touched. This is relations with Iran. Without going into the diplomatic details, let's note that friendship with Iran is more important for Russia than compromise on missile defense.

However, the United States has proclaimed missile defense its national policy precisely because of Iran. Hence the Russian and American positions on the Iranian nuclear missile threat are poles apart, and there is no sign of any rapprochement on the issue.

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(Andrei Kislyakov is a political commentator for the RIA Novosti news agency. This article is reprinted by permission of the RIA Novosti news agency. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of the RIA Novosti news agency.)

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