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Tuesday, 1 May, 2001, 14:02 GMT 15:02 UK
Bush's missile defence diplomacy
![]() Bush is determined to press ahead with his plans
By diplomatic correspondent Barnaby Mason
President Bush appears to have responded to European complaints that he has adopted a unilateralist, take-it-or-leave-it approach to the rest of the world.
A spokesman for the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said he appreciated that the United States was engaging with its allies, and sympathised with the desire to re-examine deterrence because of the threat from rogue states - as Washington calls them. The Bush speech is part of a public relations drive to change minds: he will be sending a delegation to western Europe and Russia next week, and in June he himself will meet European Union leaders in Sweden. Worries All this comes at a time when European governments have become more low-key in voicing their worries about anti-missile defence. Partly they recognise that Mr Bush is determined to press ahead with his ambitious schemes; partly they don't want to fight a battle now, when deployment is years away and the technology may not work.
That's one reason for Mr Bush to offer further substantial cuts in the number of American long-range nuclear missiles. But the two sides have only called a truce. The objectors in Europe and elsewhere fear that the end of the ABM treaty will actually encourage the deployment of offensive missiles - especially by the Chinese, who see their small deterrent losing credibility. The critics think the Americans are exaggerating the threat from countries like North Korea, Iraq and Iran; and that in any case missile defence is not the best way to deal with it. |
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