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US withdrawal from ABM treaty gets mixed reaction
AFP
December 14, 2001

The US decision to withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty drew mixed reactions, with Russian President Vladimir Putin describing the move as "mistake".

US President George W. Bush said he had given Moscow the required six months notice to withdraw from the 1972 treaty, the cornerstone of Cold War arms control efforts, to allow the United States to build a missile shield.

"Both Russia and the United States, compared with other nuclear powers, have for a long time had an effective system for penetrating anti-missile defences," Putin said in an address to the nation..

"That is why I can say with complete certainty that the decision taken by the American president is not a threat to the security of the Russian Federation.

"We are not surprised by this decision which we nevertheless consider to be a mistake," Putin said, adding that Russia was not preparing to withdraw jointly from the ABM treaty as proposed by the Americans."

Bush's long expected move also drew criticism from the US Congress, where the US Senate's Majority Leader, Democrat Tom Daschle, said he was "concerned" about US allies' reaction to the announcement.

"I think it could rupture relations with key countries and governments around the world ... (and it) presents a very serious question regarding future arms races," Daschle said.

"Unilateral action by the United States sends the wrong message. I think we could expect the withdrawal of treaties by other countries," he said, adding that abandoning the treaty was "a high price to pay for testing" the missile defense system.

Although Congress cannot affect Bush's decision, it does hold the purse strings for any future missile defense development.

House Majority Leader Republican Dick Armey applauded Bush's decision.

"The threat of attack from rogue states and organizations grows everyday," he said in a statement.

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the world had moved on since the ABM treaty was signed.

The treaty was therefore a matter for those two countries "and its future is essentially a matter for them," he said.

"What is important is the maintenance of strategic stability rather than a particular framework to achieve that."

China did not immediately react after Bush's announcement but earlier expressed "concern" and called for talks on the issue.

"We've taken note of the relevant reports and express our concern," foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said, adding that China was worried about "negative impacts".

A German foreign ministry spokesman welcomed Bush's announcement as "an opportunity to reduce the strategic nuclear threat".

Germany would however "have welcomed a renegotiation of the ABM treaty," he added.

France said it hoped "binding international mechanisms" could be put in place to provide strategic stability following the US decision.

A foreign ministry statement called the ABM treaty "an essential component of strategic stability in recent years".

In Brussels, NATO spokesman Yves Brodeur said the alliance had "no official reaction, as this involves a bilateral treaty" signed by Washington and Moscow.

There was also no reaction from the European Union.

Russia's neighbor Finland voiced hope that the ABM treaty would be succeeded by new international arms agreements, but greeted the US pullout from the pact with a suggestion that its usefulness had expired.

"We think the ABM treaty has had considerable significance by increasing stability" in the world, a foreign ministry spokesperson said.

Neighboring Sweden said the US move posed a risk of reigniting an arms race and triggering further nuclear proliferation.

Czech President Vaclav Havel, a key leader of the struggle which brought down communism, expressed understanding for the United States' withdrawal, saying the agreement was "outdated".

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