Posted on 02/19/2010 10:01:34 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Russia warned on Friday that it could revive plans to base missiles on NATO's doorstep amid growing controversy over new proposals for a US missile shield in central Europe.
Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said Moscow could still decide to station the missiles in Kaliningrad -- a western Russian exclave nestled between Poland and Lithuania -- if it felt its security was under threat.
"If there is no additional threat to Russia's security, then we will not base Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad," Russian news agencies quoted Serdyukov as saying on a visit to Finland.
"But if an additional threat appears, then the Iskanders will be based there. In any case, the decision will be taken by the (Russian) president."
Russia in September said it had scrapped plans to place the short-range Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad after the United States shelved a controversial missile shield plan for Central Europe.
But it expressed concern after Romania said this month it would hold talks with Washington on hosting US missile interceptors and Bulgaria showed an interest in taking part in a US missile shield.
Russia's initial scrapping of the Kaliningrad plan came after US President Barack Obama shelved an initiative by his predecessor George W. Bush to place an anti-missile radar facility in the Czech Republic and interceptors in Poland.
US officials always insisted that the plan was aimed at countering the threat from Iran. But Russia angrily insisted that such facilities would be aimed against its territory.
Obama's decision to shelve that plan and Russia's warm response were hailed as a key pillar in the "reset" the countries had vowed to bring to their relations post-Bush
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I wish Russia would quit being so cutesy about Iran. If they really concern the Rooskies, then the Rooskies should say they are not going to deliver a missile defense system until they do something to assure that their nuclear weapons capable program no longer has that capability. The world really isn’t in the mood for chess with the Rooskies right now.
The only reason why Russia delayed the missile delivery to
Iran because Netanyahu was in Moscow.
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