08 August 2001

Stage Is Set for Rumsfeld, Ivanov Meeting in Moscow

By Merle D. Kellerhals, Jr.
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Senior defense advisors from the United States and Russia have concluded two days of information-sharing talks in advance of meetings between U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov August 13-14 in Moscow.

The information-sharing meetings, held in Washington August 7-8, focused on the proposed U.S. missile defense system and its impact on U.S.-Russian strategic relations and the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty between the United States and the former Soviet Union, the Pentagon said August 8. The ABM Treaty expressly forbids development of national missile defense systems against long-range ballistic missiles, such as the program being researched and tested by the United States.

"In the course of the consultations the delegations had a substantive discussion on a broad range of issues related to strategic stability and international security in the 21st century," the Pentagon said in a statement issued after the meetings concluded.

"The focus of attention was on the interrelated subjects of offensive and defensive systems. The advisors also worked on the agenda for Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld's visit to Moscow to meet with Defense Minister Ivanov."

Douglas Feith, under secretary of defense for policy, led the nine-member U.S. delegation and Colonel General Yuri Baluyevsky led the 10-member Russian delegation during the meetings at the Pentagon. The senior advisors plan to continue their consultations because further study of certain important issues is necessary, the Pentagon said.

Air Force General Richard Myers, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, August 8 characterized the meetings as "a good exchange of information."

Accompanying Rumsfeld to Moscow will be Army General Henry Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs John Bolton. The U.S. delegation is scheduled to leave Washington late August 11.

National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, along with Commerce Secretary Donald Evans and Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, met with Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian officials in Moscow after the recent Group of Eight (G-8) summit concluded in Genoa, Italy. Those meetings set the stage for the just-completed Washington sessions, as well as Rumsfeld's upcoming meetings with Ivanov.

Further talks are planned between Presidents Bush and Putin at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum meeting in Shanghai in October, and in November at Bush's Crawford, Texas ranch.

The Bush administration has proposed researching, testing and developing a working system of land-based, sea-launched and airborne weapons to intercept long-range ballistic missiles launched by smaller nations antagonistic to the United States, and potential accidental launches.

Rumsfeld said July 12 that at some point during the research and testing of the proposed system the United States would "bump up against" the 1972 ABM Treaty.

"What we do know is that the treaty prohibits ballistic missile defense, and we do know what we're trying to do is research and development and testing -- not deployment yet, but testing -- to develop the capability to deploy ballistic missile defense," Rumsfeld said.

Rumsfeld said the Bush administration is working to reach a new understanding with Russia that would preclude violating the ABM Treaty and allow the United States to continue its testing program. However, he indicated the United States will not intentionally violate the ABM Treaty, but may withdraw from the treaty before that happens. Either nation may withdraw after having given six months notice to the other signatory.

The Pentagon announced July 31 that its ABM Compliance Review Group has determined that some aspects of the testing plan for 2002 would likely conflict with the treaty, but those findings are tentative and are undergoing further study by senior defense, state and White House officials.