US Official: US, Russia to Speed up Missile TalksThe United States and Russia will speed up negotiations over US President Bush's plans for a national missile shield this month, a senior State Department official said on Wednesday.The acceleration in negotiations with the Russians was aimed at making progress on possible compromises before the expected US- Russian summit in November, the official told reporters. US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith and his Russian counterpart will hold talks in Moscow on September 10-11, the official said. And US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control John Bolton will meet with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Mamedov a week later ahead of the meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov at annual United Nations General Assembly, he said. "I think the Russians accept the inevitability of missile defense and despite their view that the ABM treaty is not obsolete, I think they are looking for some kind of compromise," he said. "Whether we will find common ground remains to be seen but I think they are prepared to accommodate limited defense against rogue states," the official added. |
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