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By Daniel Silva November 30, 2007 08:58am
Article from: Agence France-Presse THE United States and the EU on Thursday urged Russia to not to go ahead
with a threat to stop complying with a key European arms control treaty
next month at an annual OSCE meeting in Spain.
"We don't believe any country should walk out of a major landmark arms
control treaty unilaterally as Russia intends to do," US Under Secretary
of State for Political Affairs, Nicholas Burns said. Moscow announced earlier this year that it would stop implementing the
1990 Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty as of December 12. The treaty
limits the deployment of tanks, aircraft and other heavy weapons across
the continent. Russian President Vladimir Putin says the move is a response to US plans
to set up missile defense sites in eastern Europe and NATO's failure to
ratify a version of the treaty amended in 1999, after the collapse of
the Soviet Union. Russia ratified the updated treaty in 2004, but the United States and
other NATO members have refused to follow, arguing Moscow must first
withdraw forces from Georgia and Moldova. Mr Burns said Russia had "more work to do" in Georgia and Moldova before
US could ratify the updated treaty. Portugal's Foreign Minister Luis Amado, whose country holds the rotating
European Union presidency, urged Russia to stick to the treaty while the
dispute is hammered out. "The EU regards the treaty as the cornerstone of European security and
is deeply concerned by the emerging uncertanties about the future
viability of the treaty should Russia cease to implement treaty
operations," he said. Remnant from the Cold War In his address to the gathering, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
said Russia was still open to dialogue but he reiterated Moscow's demand
that the US and other NATO partners sign the amended treaty. "Everyone recognized that the 1990 treaty does not correspond anymore to
reality," he said. The 1990 version of the treaty was signed by the North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation and the Warsaw Pact, the two opposing blocs during the Cold
War. The United States and the EU also urged the OSCE to extend its mission
in Kosovo when its mandate in the Serbia's breakaway province ends this
year, no matter what status the territory finally obtains. "No matter what happens during this transitional phase which is
certainly upon us we believe that the OSCE should stay," said Mr Burns,
adding the body had played a key role in protecting minority groups in
Kosovo. "If the OSCE was relevant to the people of Kosovo before, it will
continue to be so in the future," he added. The United Nations has set a December 10 deadline for a final decision
on the future status of Kosovo where ethnic Albanians are a majority. Last-ditch talks between Serb and Kosovan leaders in Austria collapsed
Wednesday and threats by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders to declare
independence against the wishes of Serbia have fuelled fears of violence. The OSCE meeting is taking place just days after the watchdog cancelled
its mission to monitor Sunday's parliamentary elections in Russia. Mr Putin alleged the United States was behind the decision in a bid to
discredit the elections, a charge dismissed by Mr Burns as "completely
untrue and unfounded". Over 40 foreign ministers from OSCE members are taking part in the
two-day gathering in Spain, which holds the rotating presidency of the
organization.
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