#32 - JRL 2007-231 - JRL Home
Russia denies seeking compromise deal with U.S. on key
disputes
MOSCOW, November 7 (RIA Novosti) - A senior Russian Foreign Ministry official
denied on Wednesday reports that Moscow would change its position on Kosovo and
Iran if the United States agreed to accommodate Russia on key disputes.
As well as Russia's opposition to Washington's plans to deploy missile
defense elements in Europe, the refusal of the U.S. to ratify the Conventional
Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty has provoked security concerns in Russia.
"I have long worked on Russian-U.S. agreements, and I have never heard of any
package of proposals from our American counterparts," Deputy Minister Sergei
Kislyak told journalists, adding that, "Russia has an independent position on
each issue."
Speaking about the CFE Treaty, Kislyak said: "This is a complicated process,
and with all due respect to our American partners, this involves another 35
signatories to the treaty, aside from the United States."
Earlier in the day, Russia's lower house of parliament voted in favor of
President Vladimir Putin's bill to impose a moratorium on the arms reduction
treaty.
The moratorium on the arms reduction pact will take effect on the night of
December 12-13, or 150 days after Russia notifies signatories to the treaty.
The official also denied allegations that Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov had made "secret" proposals to Tehran during recent visits to Iran.
Kislyak said that Russia was guided by common principles adopted by the six
nations involved in talks - Britain, France, Germany, China, the United States
and Russia - plus the UN Security Council and the Board of Governors at the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The six nations decided on Friday that they will meet again on November 19 to
discuss reports by IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei and EU foreign policy chief
Javier Solana.
"Our position is that all problems should be settled through negotiations,"
the official said.
The latest reports quoted Lavrov as saying that Washington had not yet
submitted an official written answer on missile defense to Russia.
"It is surprising that we have not yet received any proposals in writing. We
hear various statements about concessions and respect of our concerns, but our
American counterparts have not yet pronounced a clear stance, despite repeated
pledges," the Russian foreign minister said.
Russia has offered the U.S. use of radar stations at Gabala in Azerbaijan,
and Armavir in south Russia, as alternatives to plans to deploy interceptor
missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic.
The U.S. and some EU states are pushing for Kosovar independence, while
Russia has strongly opposed sovereignty for the province, saying it would set a
dangerous precedent, including for post-Soviet states.
Serbian officials and representatives of Kosovo, a UN protectorate since
NATO's 1999 bombing campaign that ended a conflict between Serbian troops and
Albanian separatists, have failed so far to reach a compromise on Kosovo's
status.
December 10 has been set as the deadline for the Contact group negotiating a
solution on the predominantly Albanian province's status - Russia, the United
States, and the four largest European Union members - to submit a report to UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Belgrade and Russia have spoken out against strict timeframes in the
long-running dispute, but Kosovo Albanian leaders have said they will declare
independence unilaterally if no deal is reached by the December 10 deadline.
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