MOSCOW, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. ambassador to Russia said he believes the two countries will agree by May on an information-exchange system for European missile defense shields.
Ambassador John Beyrle told the Russian business daily Kommersant he's confident the agreement would be signed by the next NATO summit, scheduled for May in Chicago, RIA Novosti reported.
"I am convinced that by the next NATO summit, which will be held in Chicago in 2012, we will have already got a Russian-NATO agreement on the missile defense," Beyrle told Kommersant.
NATO favors two independent systems that would exchange information. But Russia prefers a single system covering all of Europe that would be operated jointly by Russia and NATO with full interoperability.
Moscow has expressed concern that a missile-defense system based in Eastern Europe and Turkey -- the West says that is needed to protect against threats from Iran and the Middle East -- could be used to target Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles used as nuclear deterrents.
Beyrle said the exchange would include technology and two command centers that track missile launches worldwide and analyze possible threats.
Russia and NATO had agreed to work together on a European missile-defense system at a Lisbon summit in 2010.
Beyrle said the controversy over the European missile shield should be viewed as a positive sign, with talks still going on.
RIA Novosti said NATO has refused to provide legally binding guarantees its missiles wouldn't be directed against Russia, which Moscow calls necessary to prevent a new arms race.
