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Kommersant, Russia
March 3 2007
DA-Mned Element
// The U.S. intends to put anti-missile defense elements in Caucasus
and Ukraine
Moscow-Washington opposition about US anti-ballistic missile defense
system in Europe is likely to escalate. The U.S. announced that after
the Czech Republic and Poland, ABM defense elements will be built in
Caucasus. It means that already in 2011, a mobile American radar
might appear in Georgia or Azerbaijan. Moreover, US Department of
State has for the first time named Ukraine among countries with which
Washington cooperates closely in ABM defense issues. Moscow made it
clear right away that it has already prepared an `adequate response'
to US plans.
Lieutenant General Henry Obering, director of the U.S. Missile
Defense Agency, disclosed US plans to expand its ABM defense system,
moving it closer to Russia's borders. Speaking in NATO headquarters
in Brussels on Thursday evening, Obering said that Washington intends
to build an ABM radar in Caucasus by 2011. `It will be a mobile radar
requiring a couple of days to be installed. We still have time to
coordinate its precise location,' said Obering. According to the
official, the radar will detect missile launches, and then transmit
data to a stationary radar in the Czech Republic.
Then the US general tried to calm Moscow: `Our radar will be turned
at Iran. We will not be able to turn it around and study objects in
Russia. And even if we are able to do it, the radar will not look
over Russian territory so far as to detect the launches of Russian
missiles.'
Obering's statement became the first official acknowledgment that
Washington will not stop at building ABM elements in Eastern Europe
(in Czechia and Poland) only. Until Thursday, neither US military
officials, nor US diplomats spoke of the plans to install a radar in
Caucasus.
Apparently, US ABM elements might be placed only in two Caucasus
countries, those that keep up close relations with Washington, --
Azerbaijan and Georgia. Armenia, the country that had reckoned with
Russia almost openly before, refused right away to cooperate with the
U.S. in the ABM sphere. Armenia's defense ministry declared it
yesterday.
However, Baku's and Tbilisi's response was different. Azerbaijan's
defense ministry is so far disproving rumors about placing US radar
on its territory. Yet, Azerbaijani officials have not, in fact,
completely denied the possibility in future, saying that `the
decision is to be made by the country's top officials'.
Georgia's Ministry of Defense and its Foreign Affairs Ministry said
that `no offers to install ABM elements came from the U.S.'. Both
ministries refrained from giving comments on `the possibility of such
offer and Tbilisi's response'. Meanwhile, head of Georgian
parliamentary committee on European and Euro-Atlantic integration
David Bakradze said: `Georgia is ready to attentively consider such
offer'. Taking into account that Tbilisi declared the military
cooperation with the U.S. and NATO one of the priorities of its
foreign policy, installation of a US radar on Georgian territory is
quite likely as well.
However, Washington is apparently going further than Caucasus while
expanding its ABM system in the post-Soviet space. Recently-appointed
Assistant Secretary for Bureau of International Security and
Nonproliferation John Rood, speaking in Washington on Thursday, named
Ukraine among `countries that are involved in the efforts to create
an ABM system'. Leaving the details of Washington-Kiev cooperation in
that sphere undisclosed, Rood began the onset on Moscow. He
criticized its suspicion against US plans, and the threats coming
from Russian politicians and military officials, in particular the
threat to withdraw from the Medium- and Small-Range Missile Treaty.
`Moscow's gelid rhetoric and threatening declarations look like a
clumsy attempt to drive a wedge between NATO allies,' he said. Rood
also accused Moscow of carrying out its own ABM programs: `Russia
maintains the ABM system around its main city - Moscow, and has
developed defense against missiles of smaller range.'
Rumors about involving Kiev into US ABM project had existed before.
Now, however, Rood's statement became the first official
acknowledgement of those plans on such a high level. There has been
no official response from Ukrainian authorities yet. A few days ago,
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko made quite a contradictory
statement on ABM. Speaking in Dnepropetrovsk, he said that Ukraine
`should go by collective obligations in what concerns placing US ABM
system in Czechia and Poland'. The president asked Ukrainian
politicians to comment on the issue `with regard to Ukraine's
national interests and obligations'. Ukraine's Defense Minister
Anatoly Gritsenko has not clarified Kiev's position either. He said
yesterday that Ukraine is concerned about US plans to build ABM in
Czechia and Poland: `What if missile fragments fall on our territory?
If it's not a nuclear warhead, it might be a `dirty' bomb, for
instance with nuclear substances, a virus, or biologic weapon.'
Unlike the reactions of all those countries, Moscow's response was
clear and tough.
Russian Air Force Commander-in-Chief, General of the Army Vladimir
Mikhailov responded to the U.S. yesterday: `Unfortunately, they speak
of installing US ABM elements even in such countries as Ukraine, and
in a number of other countries, including Russia's neighbors. Let
them install ABM, after all it's their problems, while we have
everything necessary for giving an adequate response to all those
installations.' And Mikhailov proceeded to praising Russian air
defense missile weapon system S-400 Triumf.
Russia's defense ministry refrained from additional comments
yesterday, saying that `Mikhailov has already expressed the
ministry's position'.
Alexander Gabuev; Vladimir Novikov, Tbilisi
March 3 2007
DA-Mned Element
// The U.S. intends to put anti-missile defense elements in Caucasus
and Ukraine
Moscow-Washington opposition about US anti-ballistic missile defense
system in Europe is likely to escalate. The U.S. announced that after
the Czech Republic and Poland, ABM defense elements will be built in
Caucasus. It means that already in 2011, a mobile American radar
might appear in Georgia or Azerbaijan. Moreover, US Department of
State has for the first time named Ukraine among countries with which
Washington cooperates closely in ABM defense issues. Moscow made it
clear right away that it has already prepared an `adequate response'
to US plans.
Lieutenant General Henry Obering, director of the U.S. Missile
Defense Agency, disclosed US plans to expand its ABM defense system,
moving it closer to Russia's borders. Speaking in NATO headquarters
in Brussels on Thursday evening, Obering said that Washington intends
to build an ABM radar in Caucasus by 2011. `It will be a mobile radar
requiring a couple of days to be installed. We still have time to
coordinate its precise location,' said Obering. According to the
official, the radar will detect missile launches, and then transmit
data to a stationary radar in the Czech Republic.
Then the US general tried to calm Moscow: `Our radar will be turned
at Iran. We will not be able to turn it around and study objects in
Russia. And even if we are able to do it, the radar will not look
over Russian territory so far as to detect the launches of Russian
missiles.'
Obering's statement became the first official acknowledgment that
Washington will not stop at building ABM elements in Eastern Europe
(in Czechia and Poland) only. Until Thursday, neither US military
officials, nor US diplomats spoke of the plans to install a radar in
Caucasus.
Apparently, US ABM elements might be placed only in two Caucasus
countries, those that keep up close relations with Washington, --
Azerbaijan and Georgia. Armenia, the country that had reckoned with
Russia almost openly before, refused right away to cooperate with the
U.S. in the ABM sphere. Armenia's defense ministry declared it
yesterday.
However, Baku's and Tbilisi's response was different. Azerbaijan's
defense ministry is so far disproving rumors about placing US radar
on its territory. Yet, Azerbaijani officials have not, in fact,
completely denied the possibility in future, saying that `the
decision is to be made by the country's top officials'.
Georgia's Ministry of Defense and its Foreign Affairs Ministry said
that `no offers to install ABM elements came from the U.S.'. Both
ministries refrained from giving comments on `the possibility of such
offer and Tbilisi's response'. Meanwhile, head of Georgian
parliamentary committee on European and Euro-Atlantic integration
David Bakradze said: `Georgia is ready to attentively consider such
offer'. Taking into account that Tbilisi declared the military
cooperation with the U.S. and NATO one of the priorities of its
foreign policy, installation of a US radar on Georgian territory is
quite likely as well.
However, Washington is apparently going further than Caucasus while
expanding its ABM system in the post-Soviet space. Recently-appointed
Assistant Secretary for Bureau of International Security and
Nonproliferation John Rood, speaking in Washington on Thursday, named
Ukraine among `countries that are involved in the efforts to create
an ABM system'. Leaving the details of Washington-Kiev cooperation in
that sphere undisclosed, Rood began the onset on Moscow. He
criticized its suspicion against US plans, and the threats coming
from Russian politicians and military officials, in particular the
threat to withdraw from the Medium- and Small-Range Missile Treaty.
`Moscow's gelid rhetoric and threatening declarations look like a
clumsy attempt to drive a wedge between NATO allies,' he said. Rood
also accused Moscow of carrying out its own ABM programs: `Russia
maintains the ABM system around its main city - Moscow, and has
developed defense against missiles of smaller range.'
Rumors about involving Kiev into US ABM project had existed before.
Now, however, Rood's statement became the first official
acknowledgement of those plans on such a high level. There has been
no official response from Ukrainian authorities yet. A few days ago,
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko made quite a contradictory
statement on ABM. Speaking in Dnepropetrovsk, he said that Ukraine
`should go by collective obligations in what concerns placing US ABM
system in Czechia and Poland'. The president asked Ukrainian
politicians to comment on the issue `with regard to Ukraine's
national interests and obligations'. Ukraine's Defense Minister
Anatoly Gritsenko has not clarified Kiev's position either. He said
yesterday that Ukraine is concerned about US plans to build ABM in
Czechia and Poland: `What if missile fragments fall on our territory?
If it's not a nuclear warhead, it might be a `dirty' bomb, for
instance with nuclear substances, a virus, or biologic weapon.'
Unlike the reactions of all those countries, Moscow's response was
clear and tough.
Russian Air Force Commander-in-Chief, General of the Army Vladimir
Mikhailov responded to the U.S. yesterday: `Unfortunately, they speak
of installing US ABM elements even in such countries as Ukraine, and
in a number of other countries, including Russia's neighbors. Let
them install ABM, after all it's their problems, while we have
everything necessary for giving an adequate response to all those
installations.' And Mikhailov proceeded to praising Russian air
defense missile weapon system S-400 Triumf.
Russia's defense ministry refrained from additional comments
yesterday, saying that `Mikhailov has already expressed the
ministry's position'.
Alexander Gabuev; Vladimir Novikov, Tbilisi