Ebru News | Russian FM:"U.S. to Encircle Russia"

Russian FM:"U.S. to Encircle Russia"

Russia's foreign minister called U.S. plans to build a global missile defense shield an example of "imperial thinking," and suggested in comments published Thursday that Washington was using the system to try to encircle Russia.

07
Feb
2008

(Ebru News/AP) Russia's foreign minister called U.S. plans to build a global missile defense shield an example of "imperial thinking," and suggested in comments published Thursday that Washington was using the system to try to encircle Russia.

Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza that elements of the missile defense system "exist or will be built in Alaska, California, northeast Asia."

"If we look at a map, it's clear that all of it is concentrating around our borders," he was quoted as saying. "Most likely in the near future, we are going to hear about hundreds, and maybe even thousands, of interceptors in various regions of the
planet, including Europe."

Washington wants to place 10 missile defense interceptors in Poland and a radar system in neighboring Czech Republic as part of a global system it says is necessary to protect against future attacks from Iran.

The U.S. and Poland have stressed that the system poses no threat to Russia and its vast nuclear arsenal, and is instead designed to protect the U.S. and Europe from Iran.

Lavrov brushed aside those assurances, saying "such a threat does not exist." He said only one country in eastern Europe has strategic ballistic missiles: Russia.

"That's why you would have to be very naive to assume that the American missile defense base in Europe is aimed against anything but Russia," he was quoted as saying. "It's difficult to interpret it as anything other than a manifestation of imperial
thinking."

Russia is incensed by the prospect of U.S. installations in a region that it controlled during the Cold War and has threatened to attack the bases, causing deep anxiety in Poland.

Lavrov called U.S. plans to build a missile defense base in Poland "only a trial balloon," adding that "Russia does not fear 10 interceptors."

"Much more dangerous for us is the trend of American infrastructure getting closer to our borders," he told Gazeta Wyborcza. "We don't see any justification for this step."

"We are talking openly with the Americans about our fears. If the plan goes through, we are going to be forced to respond adequately, developing our strategic forces near our borders."

Last week, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said during a visit to Washington that Poland had agreed in principle to hosting the base after Warsaw received assurances that the United States would help Poland strengthen its short- to medium-range air defenses.

Ebru TV