NATO plays down Russian military threats over US missile defense
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Berlin, May 4, IRNA -- NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen here Friday played down Russia's latest military threats against US plans to deploy a controversial missile defense system in Europe.
Talking at a joint press briefing with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Rasmussen said Moscow's stern warning on a pre-emptive strike on future NATO missile defense installations in Europe was 'not justified.'
'The missile defense system is not technically desigend to threaten Russia,' the NATO chief reiterated.
We have 'politically no intention to attack Russia,' added Rasmussen.
He was referring to the latest statements made by Russia's military chief of staff, General Nikolai Makarov who openly threatened to hit the US-led missile umbrella.
Makarov repeated Kremlin threats to deploy more missiles in southern and northwestern Russia for potential strikes against the installations and said Moscow could act pre-emptively if it saw the need.
'Decisions on the pre-emptive use of ... attack components will be taken in the period of heightening tension,' he told the conference of government officials and experts in Moscow on Thursday.
The Russian military leader stressed deploying such weapons, let alone using them to attack the missile shield, would be an 'extreme measure' Moscow hoped never to resort to, and later suggested that would be an option only if an imminent, severe security threat were spotted.
Russia and NATO agreed in 2010 to seek ways to cooperate on missile defense but have failed to reach a deal.
The Kremlin wants legally binding assurances the system will not be used against Russia, however the US refuses to provide such guarantees.
OT**2050
Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 80112954
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