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Obama Sends Letter to Moscow on Missile Defense, Iran
WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama has written to his Russian counterpart about the relationship between US plans to deploy a missile defense system in Europe and the Iranian "threat," a senior US official said on Tuesday.
The US intercepts a short-range ballistic missile during a test in the Pacific Ocean. US President Barack Obama has written to his Russian counterpart about the relationship between US plans to deploy a missile defense system in Europe and the Iranian "threat". (AFP) But the overture was rebuffed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who said in Spain Tuesday that it was "not productive" to link talks over a US missile defense system in Europe with Iran's suspected nuclear program as proposed by Washington.
"If we are to speak about some sort of exchange, the question has not been presented in such a way, because it is not productive ," Medvedev said when asked about a letter US President Barack Obama wrote to him regarding the two issues.
"Our American partners are ready to discuss this problem," the Russian leader added at a joint news conference with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. "This is already good."
The New York Times reported Tuesday that Obama suggested in a secret letter to Medvedev that he would back off deployment of the missile defense shield if Moscow would help stop Iran from developing long-range missiles.
Confirming that Obama sent a letter to Medvedev, a White House official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the missive covered "a broad range of topics including missile defense and how it relates to the Iranian threat."
The official offered no further details of the letter, or when it was sent.
But the Times said the letter was delivered to Moscow by "top administration officials" three weeks ago.
It said the letter did not offer a specific quid pro quo, but was intended to give Moscow an incentive to join the United States in a common front against Iran.
"It's almost saying to them, put up or shut up," a senior official was quoted as saying.
"It's not that the Russians get to say, 'We'll try and therefore you have to suspend.' It says the threat has to go away."
Asked about it in Jerusalem, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the missile defense system "has always been intended to deter any missile that might come from Iran."
"That's been our stated position. It remains our position. We have explained that to the Russians before," she said, adding that she would discuss the issue at length with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday in Geneva.
Moscow has been angry for years over former president George W. Bush's plans to place interceptor missiles in Poland and a powerful radar in the Czech Republic, saying the move was directly aimed against Russia.
Bush officials said the system was intended to protect Europe and the United States against a limited long range missile attack by Iran, which Washington accuses of trying to develop nuclear weapons.
Iran has rejected repeated calls by the UN Security Council -- of which Russia is a permanent member -- for a halt to uranium enrichment, despite three sets of sanctions being imposed for its defiance.
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8 Comments so far
Show AllYES, Obama tries to bribe Russia into backing its plans for war against Iran.
To protect Europe from an Iran limited long range missile attack? Yeah!
What threat to Europe from Iran, 'Lbanus'? Are you seriously thinking that Iran is going to try to blast France or England with a nuclear weapon? Good grief!
(BTW, your choice of an internet name kind of shows that you have some sort of weird personality problem IMHO. Get some help. Certainly your opinion has nothimg to do with liberalism at all, and both your choice of net name and your opinion itself seem to show the signs of Rush Ditto thought instead.)
I like the way this AFP article refers to the Iranian "threat". Those quotes implying this is a so-called "threat" are well-placed. You would never see them in a AP or Reuters article.
---USAn---
Delivery of letters? "3 weeks ago" maybe it was 3 weeks ago the the news was released to the public (roughly Feb 7, 2009). If that's the case, then it could have been Henry Kissinger. he denies being any sort of "envoy"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/4530042/Cold-warrior-Henry-Kissinger-woos-Russia-for-Barack-Obama.html
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/1010/42/374339.htm
Oops, my mistake. It seems that Hillary is now using this extremely idiotic lie that supposedly Iran wants to point missiles at Europe to justify the US/Israel going to war with Iran. So with the Repugs we got the BIG LIE about WOMD of Saddam Hussein, but with the dumb donkeys, we'll just get this extremely stupid lie to justify yet more wars and military-industrial welfare!
As long as President Obama can send "confidential" letters to heads of other states he can deny anything that is in his letters. Apparently that is already the case with his letter to Medvedev.
The notion that Obama can "blackmail" Russia into the purported deal, if true, shows what a bloody, hence dangerous beginner he is.
I have a feeling that this will not go the way the USA wants it to go. Number 1, why would Russia trust the USA anyhow. Number 2, why would Russia help the USA to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon or having nuclear energy? That is foolish! Would Iran REALLY fire a nuclear missile at Europe, or any other country surrounding Iran for that matter, even if Iran DID acquire one? Give me a break! There is simply no reason for Iran to do this. Iran has everything to lose and nothing to gain for firing a nuclear missile, you see. Actually, Russia being willing to sell or give away a nuclear missile to Iran, if only to counter USA occupations inside Asia sound more realistic (albeit farfetched), than Russia striking a deal with the USA regarding the missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic. Remember when Russia offered the USA Azerbaijan (Iran's next door neighbor) for a missile shield instead of Poland and the Czech Republic? Bush refused this sensible offer for obvious reasons.
Russia is already pissed at the USA for refusing their suggestion to put their missile shield in Azerbaijan. Indeed, Russia sent a naval fleet to Venezuela (obviously, President Hugo Chavez did not object) and is even persuading Cuba to keep Russian Navy and Air Force personnel in their nation too as a response to USA being so arrogant. These scenarios are kind of a concern to me. Once again though, the USA had to start stuff. Russia had no choice but to respond to USA hegemonic ambitions in kind.
I am skeptical of President Obama's overtures without addressing the underlying problem - the after-effects of Bush Administration policies that Obama himself promised to overturn. We will see how that goes.