US, Russia Conclude Talks on Missile DefenseSenior US and Russian defense officials concluded two-day talks at the Pentagon on Wednesday with an agreement on the need for further consultations on US President George W. Bush's plan to build a missile defense system.The US and Russian delegations held a "substantive discussion on a broad range of issues related to strategic stability and international security," said a brief statement released by the Pentagon at the end of the talks. "The focus of attention was on the interrelated subjects of offensive and defensive weapons. As further study of certain important issues is necessary, the senior advisers plan to continue their consultations," the statement said without giving further details. General Yury Baluyevsky, first deputy chief of the Russian General Staff, led the Russian delegation in the Pentagon talks with the US delegation led by Douglas Feith, undersecretary of defense for policy. The talks, which began Tuesday, aimed to pave the way for US. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's meetings in Moscow next Monday and Tuesday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Ivanov. Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to hold the consultation with the U.S. after meeting with President Bush in Genoa, Italy, last month but reiterated that Russia's stand on the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty has not changed. |
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