EU leader says US missile-defence needs discussion

Mar 19, 2007, 21:51 GMT

Washington - US efforts to set up a missile defence system are legitimate, though Russia's opposition to basing the system in eastern Europe must be addressed, Germany's foreign minister said Monday.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose country currently chairs the 25- nation European Union, indicated after talks in Washington with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that his main concern is to avoid a rift over the issue among EU nations.

Washington's interest in defending itself against missile attacks 'is legitimate and we have to respect it,' he said. But the US plan to base the system in eastern Europe 'requires discussions,' he said.

'The Cold War is over and we are all living under new conditions,' Steinmeier told reporters with Rice at his side.

He welcomed a remark by Rice that the US is in talks with Moscow to try to soothe Russian misgivings. The aim is to 'avoid misunderstandings that might have unintended consequences,' Steinmeier said.

Rice said the United States has been in intensive discussions with the Russians about the missile defence plans since last year to guard against potential long range missile threats posed by Iran and that the system would not be capable of responding to Russia's missile fleet.

'We live in a world in which we face small nuclear threats, small potential missile threats from, for instance, Iran,' Rice said. 'And in that world, a limited missile defence that can deal with small threats is very much a stabilizing factor, not a destabilizing factor.'

The US is negotiating with NATO members Poland and Czech Republic, both former Soviet satellites, to host ballistic missile defence components. Plans call for a radar tracking station in the Czech Republic and up to 10 interceptor missiles to be based in Poland.

EU leaders who met Rice at the State Department said Russia's objections must at least be listened to.

'It is true that the Russians have a hypersensitivity of having infrastructure moving to their borders. Therefore the more we talk, the more we explain, the better,' said EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.