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Russiaâ€™s and United Statesâ€™ positions are not closer

19 September 2007 17:15 (UTC +04:00)

On Tuesday a team of U.S. military experts visited a radar facility rented by Russia in Azerbaijan, which Moscow has offered as an alternative to the planned U.S. missile shield in Central Europe. The specialists held informal technical consultations with their Russian counterparts.
"I cannot say that our positions have become closer," Ria Novosti quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak as saying.
Kislyak said Russia never meant the Gabala radar to be incorporated into the U.S. missile defense system.
"The proposal made by the Russian president to share the Gabala radar implied the use of the facility as an instrument for monitoring the proliferation of missile technologies, rather than deploying it as part of U.S. missile defenses," the Russian diplomat said.
Kislyak said that despite the current deadlock in Russia-U.S. missile talks, the sides would continue negotiations at various levels in the hope of finding a compromise solution.
"We will see how this [negotiating] process is advancing," he said. "We will hold additional rounds of consultations, including on the results of the U.S. expertsâ€™ visit to Gabala."
The Gabala radar has been operational since early 1985. With a range of 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles), it is the most powerful in the region and can detect any missile launches in Asia, the Middle East and parts of Africa. /APA/