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Powell Insists US Determination on Missile Shield
Secretary of State Colin Powell Friday maintained the US plan for a National Missile Defense (NMD) system despite widespread objections in the world.
Speaking to reporters, Powell said that vehement opposition to the shield from Russia and China and concerns about it from Washington's European allies and Canada could be overcome without having to force allies to accept the US plan.
"I don't consider it as being an arrogant position or one where we are trying to force anything on the rest of the world," he claimed.
Powell vowed Washington would consult with its allies as well as Russia and China to listen to their concerns but said the administration's position was firm.
Arms control experts said that the U.S. missile shield would severely damage the value of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty, under which the United States and the former Soviet Union agreed that neither would build a comprehensive defense against the other's long-range nuclear arsenal.
They also said that the NMD, opposed by the international community, will not only spark a new arms race, but also threaten world peace and security, and stimulate nuclear proliferation.
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