Russia questions missile defense plans

MOSCOW - The United States has not adequately answered Russia's questions on its plans to build components for its missile defense system in former Soviet satellite states in Europe, Russia's top diplomat said Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks were the latest expression of irritation from Moscow over Washington's plans to base parts of the system in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Washington says the defense system is intended to defend against missile attacks from countries such as Iran, not Russia. But Moscow has warned the system would disrupt the balance of power in the region and that it would take countermeasures.

"We are discussing this with our American colleagues and we are asking them to answer our questions, the concerns that we have, which are absolutely fair and justified," Lavrov told reporters.

"Meetings devoted to this are being held, briefings are being organized for us, quite useful ones, but we haven't received intelligible answers to the majority of our questions," he said.

Lavrov, speaking at the end of talks with his South Korean counterpart, stressed "the need to resolve such questions in a transparent, democratic way and not unilaterally."

He also claimed the United States was announcing plans to deploy the defense installations without first consulting the countries in question, citing Ukraine as an example.

Lt. Gen. Henry A. Obering, the general in charge of developing U.S. missile defenses, said last month the United States was looking for ways to involve Ukraine in its plans.

Ukraine has refrained from giving an official response to Washington's plans. Its leaders, however, have been sending mixed signals. The prime minister has warned it could hurt relations with neighboring countries, while the president has indicated tacit support for the plan.

Obering said last week that Washington might also seek to base an anti-missile radar site somewhere in the Caucasus - the strategic region consisting of ex-Soviet republics Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia that lies between the Caspian and Black seas.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin warned the three Caucasus states against considering any such offers, according to Russian news agencies.

All three countries have denied they were considering any such offers.

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