Timetable set for missile defence talks

The US will not wait for Russia on missile defence

The United States and Russia have agreed a timetable for defence talks, ahead of an October summit in Shanghai between presidents George W Bush and Vladimir Putin.

The Cold War is over, and it is time to think about a new basis for co-operative relations

Condoleezza Rice

US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice has said, however, that Washington will go ahead with a test system for its national missile defence plan, without waiting for Russian agreement.

Ms Rice made the remarks at a news conference after a meeting with Mr Putin, which she described as "very good".

US Commerce Secretary Don Evans and Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill also attended the Moscow talks.

'Agreements realised'

President Putin said the US delegation's visit "proves the agreements that we reached with Bush are being realised."

The two leaders agreed in Genoa to continue missile defence consultations and to link talks on the issue with negotiations on cutting both sides' stockpiles of nuclear weapons.

Bush and Putin agreed to merge talks with discussions on cutting their nuclear arsenals

Russia has long objected to the US plan for a national missile defence shield, arguing that it violates the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty, signed in 1972.

Earlier on Thursday, Ms Rice opened talks on the issue with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov.

Mr Ivanov told Russia's Interfax news agency that the two sides had made progress.

"I am much less worried today than I was one year ago that either of us (Russia or the United States) are ready to take steps that can threaten stability," he said.

Russian concerns

The BBC's Moscow correspondent, Caroline Wyatt, says the US is keen to push ahead as soon as possible, because it might be a matter of months before its missile defence programme begins to impinge on the ABM treaty.

She says that, although Russia still insists the treaty is a cornerstone of global security, Mr Putin has shown an increasing willingness to reach a deal with Washington.

However, our correspondent says Ms Rice will still have a lot of persuading to do, since Russia remains deeply sensitive about being seen to give ground on the issue.

Speaking on Russia's public ORT television, Ms Rice said Russia and the US should put the Cold War behind them and negotiate a new treaty.

'Cold War over'

"The Cold War is over, and it is time to think about a new basis for co-operative relations... It is absolutely critical, very important, that we replace the old basis of threat against one another, with a new basis of co-operative ways," she said.

The American missile defence plan involves setting up a shield capable of shooting down missiles fired by what Washington calls rogue states.

This is currently prohibited by the ABM Treaty, which the US regards as being a relic of the Cold War era.

The premise of the ABM Treaty is that neither side would be the first to launch a nuclear attack if it did not possess an anti-missile shield.