Liviagray
Mar 4th, 2009, 03:56 AM
While denying reported 'quid pro quo' nature of letter sent to Russia's Medvedev, US President Obama confirms his administration's stance that need for much-contested missile defense array in Europe would decrease in proportion to Iranian threat
Yitzhak Benhorin
Published: 03.03.09
WASHINGTON – US President Barak Obama said on Tuesday that if the world can prevent Iran from developing nuclear arms, the need for placing a missile defense system on European soil would greatly decrease.
Obama further said the US and Russia, which greatly contests the American shield array, should work to improve their relationship, making clear he believed Washington needs to "reset or reboot" its ties to Moscow.
The US president dismissed as 'inaccurate' the New York Times' report on the nature of a letter he sent to Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev. Obama said offered no "quid pro quo" to Russia in the letter, which the Times reported as hinting a US missile deal could be ditched if Moscow deters Iran from developing long-range arms.
"The way it got characterized I think was as some sort of quid pro quo," Obama said. "It was simply a statement of fact that I've made previously, which is that the missile defense program, to the extent that it is deployed is designed to deal with not a Russian threat but an Iranian threat."
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Medvedev confirmed he and Obama had discussed the matter over the phone and exchanged letters with him, but added that there was "no talk about some kind of trade-off."
Speaking at a news conference in Madrid following a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Medvedev reaffirmed Russia's strong opposition to the previous US administration's plan to deploy a battery of missile interceptors in Poland and a related radar in the Czech Republic, saying the move would hurt security in Europe.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3680737,00.html
Yitzhak Benhorin
Published: 03.03.09
WASHINGTON – US President Barak Obama said on Tuesday that if the world can prevent Iran from developing nuclear arms, the need for placing a missile defense system on European soil would greatly decrease.
Obama further said the US and Russia, which greatly contests the American shield array, should work to improve their relationship, making clear he believed Washington needs to "reset or reboot" its ties to Moscow.
The US president dismissed as 'inaccurate' the New York Times' report on the nature of a letter he sent to Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev. Obama said offered no "quid pro quo" to Russia in the letter, which the Times reported as hinting a US missile deal could be ditched if Moscow deters Iran from developing long-range arms.
"The way it got characterized I think was as some sort of quid pro quo," Obama said. "It was simply a statement of fact that I've made previously, which is that the missile defense program, to the extent that it is deployed is designed to deal with not a Russian threat but an Iranian threat."
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Medvedev confirmed he and Obama had discussed the matter over the phone and exchanged letters with him, but added that there was "no talk about some kind of trade-off."
Speaking at a news conference in Madrid following a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Medvedev reaffirmed Russia's strong opposition to the previous US administration's plan to deploy a battery of missile interceptors in Poland and a related radar in the Czech Republic, saying the move would hurt security in Europe.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3680737,00.html