Russia: Fears over US missile shield are not allayed by START

Mar 27, 2010, 16:10 GMT

Moscow/Washington - The new START disarmament treaty between Russia and the United States has done nothing to still Russian fears about the US' planned missile defence system in Europe, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Russian TV station TV Zentre in an interview to be broadcast Saturday.

'The contract doesn't contain any clauses on the US dismantling its missile defence shield, which could pose a threat to Russia,' he said.

President Barack Obama and President Dmitry Medvedev agreed on the last points of the START nuclear disarmament treaty in a telephone call Friday.

The agreement, the most comprehensive arms reduction treaty in two decades, requires both countries to reduce their arsenals of long- range nuclear warheads to about one-third below current levels within seven years.

But the dispute about the US' defence system had long helped to prolong its signing, which was four months behind schedule. According to the daily New York Times on Saturday, the Russians only gave in at the last minute.

According to US government sources, the paper said, Russia has reserved the right to withdraw from the treaty if it deems the system a threat. The US has emphasized however, that Russia is not a target.

On Friday, a Kremlin spokeswoman had said that the missile defence system would be mentioned in the treaty in a binding form.

However, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates had said that the system was not part of the treaty at all.

The treaty is to be signed in Prague on April 8 and will then be ratified by both countries.