US invites Russia to take part in antimissile flight test
Missile Defence Agency, Lieutenant General Patrick J. O'Reilly, told Romanian Mediafax news agency on Monday, November 7, that Washington is interested to cooperate with Russia in the field of missile defence and is waiting for Moscow's reply.
The Romanian government has approved a draft law allowing the deployment of U.S. missile defence elements in the country. The document has been sent to the parliament and will enter into force after ratification.
Russia opposes these plans as a threat to its own strategic nuclear forces.
Moscow insists on legally binding guarantees that the missile defence system being created by the United States and NATO in Europe won't be aimed against it.
This issue was raised at the previous meeting between Ryabkov and Tauscher in St. Petersburg in the middle of August.
"The main attention was paid to the discussion of missile defence issues. The Russian side stressed the importance of ensuring legally binding guarantees that the missile defence system being created by the United States and NATO won't be aimed against Russia's strategic nuclear forces," the ministry said.
Ryabkov and Tauscher also discussed "some other issues on the current international agenda in the field of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and arms control", the ministry said.
Tauscher said earlier that the United States was preparing for talks with Russia on further nuclear arms cuts, seeking to consolidate positive results achieved in this field; Kazinform cites Itar-Tass.
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