Space

DATE=7/23/01

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=BUSH/MISSILE DEFENSE (L ONLY)CQ

NUMBER=2-278562

BYLINE=PAULA WOLFSON

DATELINE=ROME

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

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INTRO: President Bush says he wants to give Russia ample time to come to some sort of agreement on missile defense. But he makes clear he will not wait forever. V-O-A's Paula Wolfson reports Mr. Bush was asked about the missile defense controversy in Rome where he met with Italian leaders and Pope John Paul the Second.

TEXT: At the heart of the controversy is the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Russia says it bans development of missile defenses and is needed to prevent a new arms race. President Bush says the treaty is a relic of the Cold War and must be amended or replaced.

On Sunday, the two sides announced they would link discussion of defensive weapons to negotiations on reducing their stockpiles of offensive arms.

That doesn't mean Moscow is giving up its opposition to Mr. Bush's missile defense proposal, only that Russia has agreed to keep the dialogue going.

Mr. Bush says he knows the Russians have been operating under the A-B-M treaty for decades. He says he understands Russian President Vladimir Putin may need time to adjust to a new strategic framework.

////BUSH ACT ONE///

His nation has been bound by that treaty. It's a treaty, of course, from which either party can withdraw with ample notice. And I understand why he wants time.

////END ACT///

But aides to Mr. Bush say he is talking about months, not years. And the President makes clear his patience has limits. He says time is of the essence.

///BUSH ACT TWO///

Make no mistake about it; I think it's important to move beyond the A-B-M treaty. I would rather others come with us, but I feel so strongly and so passionately on the subject about how to keep the peace in the 21st century, that we'll move beyond, if need be.

///END ACT///

The President's national security advisor, Condoleezza Rice, heads to Moscow Tuesday to start working on logistics for a new round of arms talks.

She re-enforces the President's message, saying work on the missile defense system will continue regardless of what happens in discussions with Russia. She says at some point, as testing intensifies, the United States will be accused of violating the A-B-M treaty

///RICE ACT///

I would just draw your attention to the language which (says) just about anything that you test in an A-B-M mode that is not ground-based is, in fact, in violation of the treaty. So we're going to have to work at this with some urgency.

///END ACT///

Ms. Rice says there is a certain sense of urgency within the Bush administration. She explains that the president knows he will, at most, have two terms in office. She says he wants to make sure the needed technology is developed before his Presidency is over. (SIGNED)

NEB/PW/MAR