| Moved to a WoT topic: this is important. |
MOSCOW, March 2 (RIA Novosti) - Washington has told Moscow that Russian help in resolving Iran's nuclear program would make its missile shield plans for Europe unnecessary, a Russian daily said on Monday, citing White House sources.
| Anyone not see this coming? Obama has never liked missile defense and so he's going to sell the Poles and Czechs down the river so as to get Vlad to make nice with Short Round. Any bets on how that goes? |
U.S. President Barack Obama made the proposal on Iran in a letter to his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, Kommersant said, referring to unidentified U.S. officials.
Iran's controversial nuclear program was cited by the U.S. as one of the reasons behind its plans to deploy a missile base in Poland and radar in the Czech Republic. The missile shield has been strongly opposed by Russia, which views it as a threat to its national security. The dispute has strained relations between the former Cold War rivals, already tense over a host of other differences.
| Who cares if relations are tense? The Russians aren't that important to us anymore. They're not going to start a war with us, they're not going to invade Europe (why bother when they can just turn off the natural gas) and their ambitions are limited by the fact that they have a creaky, unreliable military. Bambi, for all his post-racial, post-partisan hipness, is acting like a certain Cold War figure we all know -- Jimmuah Carter. |
The leaders have exchanged letters and had a telephone conversation since Obama was sworn into office in January, Kommersant said. The first high-level Russia-U.S. meeting will take place later this week, when Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Geneva.
| I'd advise the wait staff to count the silver after lunch, and check both parties ... |
Moscow has not yet responded to the proposal by Obama, the paper said, adding that a decision was unlikely to be made during Lavrov and Clinton's meeting.
| Correct. Vlad will milk this one for all it's worth. After all, Bambi is willing to make a concession -- why not wait and see if he makes another one? The Russians certainly have time. We're the ones staring at a soon-to-be nuclear capable Iran and the need to spend money on the missile defense site. Russia has nothing at risk here, so Vlad will extract all he can. |
The issue is likely to be discussed when Obama and Medvedev meet in London on April 2 on the sidelines of the G20 summit of world leaders to address the financial crisis. Earlier reports said Medvedev had also invited the U.S. leader to visit Russia and the date of Obama's first visit to the largest country in the world could be announced in the British capital.
| So Bambi will go to Moscow but gives India and Iraq short-shrift. Says everything ... |
In an interview on Sunday with Spanish media, Medvedev said he hoped to discuss the issue of missile defense with Obama in London. He also said he hoped the new U.S. administration would display a "more creative approach" to the issue than its predecessors. "We have received signals from our American colleagues," Medvedev said. "I expect those signals will turn into specific proposals. I hope to discuss the issue, which is extremely important for Europe, with U.S. President Barack Obama."
| "And then we'll wait and let the Europeans whine for a while." |
The United States and other Western nations suspect Tehran of secretly seeking nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is purely aimed at generating electricity. However, unlike his predecessor, George W. Bush, Obama has stated a preference for diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute.
| Thus undercutting his ability to resolve the dispute ... |
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on the NBC television channel on Sunday that the Islamic Republic was not close to building a nuclear bomb. "They're not close to a stockpile, they're not close to a weapon at this point, and so there is some time," Gates said.
| C'mon Robert, you know better than that. |
Gates also said that the while more sanctions should be imposed against Iran, the door should not be closed to diplomacy. |