Cuba slams Russian spy-base closure

Cuba was a vital Cold War ally of Moscow

Cuba has angrily criticised Russia's decision to shut down an electronic spying base on the island.

An official Cuban statement said Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted the radar base shut down as "a special present" to US President George W Bush ahead of a meeting between the two men this week end.

"The agreement for the Lourdes radio-electronic centre is not cancelled, as Cuba has not given its approval, and Russia will need to continue negotiating with the Cuban Government given the important issues left to resolve," the statement said.

Putin: Shutting base will save money

The loss of the base is a blow to the economy of Cuba, which earned $200m a year in rent from leasing the site to Russia.

President Putin said the Lourdes station, where around 1,500 Russians are based, was too expensive to maintain.

Russian chief of staff General Anatoly Kvashnin said: "It costs $200m a year in rent to Cuba. For that amount, we can buy and launch 20 military satellites into space."

Sore point

The US welcomed Russia's announcement as another sign the Cold War was over.

The base, which houses radar and electronic equipment, was a sore point in relations with the United States, which says it has been used as a centre for spying on America. The US Congress voted last year to restrict financial aid to Russia unless it closed the base.

Mr Putin stressed the decision did not mean its relations with Cuba - a key Cold War ally - were being scaled down.

A naval base at Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam is also being closed.

General Kvashnin said the closures would allow Russia "to resolve a lot of financial matters".

Cost-cutting

The BBC's Robert Parsons in Moscow says the closures have come as a surprise - and only last year Mr Putin told the staff during a visit that their mission played a very important role in government decision-making.

The president called on us to seek ways that could save resources

General Anatoly Kvashnin

The decision, he says, may reflect the new mood of co-operation with the US since the 11 September terror attacks, although the moves will also save millions of dollars.

Officials quoted by the Associated Press news agency said the closure decisions had been taken at a "stormy" meeting of senior military leaders, chaired by Mr Putin.

"The president called on us to seek ways that could save resources, including those within [the military]," said General Kvashnin.

Denying the US spy claims, Moscow has always made clear it sees the base as vital for checking whether the US has complied with disarmament treaties, and for monitoring missile launches.