PRESIDENT BARACK Obama has confirmed that he told his Russian counterpart last month that curbing Iran’s nuclear programme would reduce the need for a new missile defence system in central Europe but insisted that he sought no trade-off with Moscow.
The Moscow newspaper Kommersant and the New York Times reported that Mr Obama wrote to Russian president Dimitri Medvedev linking the future of the missile shield to Moscow’s help in preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
“What I said in the letter is the same thing I’ve said publicly, which is that the missile defence that we have talked about deploying is directed towards not Russia, but Iran,” Mr Obama said.
“That has always been the concern – that you have potentially a missile from Iran that threatened either the United States or Europe.”
During a visit to Madrid yesterday, Mr Medvedev said he had discussed both the missile defence plan and Iran with Mr Obama in letters and by phone but also dismissed talk of a quid pro quo.
“No, issues haven’t been put that way, it would be unproductive,” he said.
Mr Medvedev said that Moscow was encouraged by the new US administration’s readiness to discuss Russian concerns about the missile shield, which would site 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar centre in the Czech Republic.
“Our American partners are ready to discuss this problem, and that’s already positive. Several months ago we were hearing different signals: The decision has been made, there is nothing to discuss, we will do what we have decided to do,” he said.
“Now I hope the situation is different. But no one is linking these issues to some kind of trade-offs, particularly on the Iranian issue. We are already working in close contact with our US counterparts on the Iranian nuclear issue.”
Tehran insists that its nuclear programme is a civilian one consistent with its rights under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Washington fears, however, that Iran could develop a nuclear weapon and the Bush administration said the missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic was designed to intercept nuclear missiles from Iran and North Korea.
Russia perceives the US missile defence plan as a threat and Mr Medvedev suggested in January that Moscow could respond to it by deploying short-range missiles in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave on Poland’s Baltic coast.
Mr Obama has long been sceptical about the missile shield, declaring that he would not authorise it until it can be proved technically effective and affordable.
He said yesterday that any decision on the missile defence plan would not affect Washington’s commitment to its Nato allies in central Europe but added that he wants a constructive relationship with Moscow based on common respect and mutual interests.
“I’ve said that we need to reset or reboot the relationship there,” the president said.
“Russia needs to understand our unflagging commitment to the independence and security of countries like a Poland or a Czech Republic. On the other hand, we have areas of common concern,” he added.
