Hoon defends missile defence stance

US missile defence plans were unveiled last week

Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has defended the government's "wait and see" approach to US missile defence plans.

It follows claims by a senior adviser to US President George W Bush that the government was "wishy washy" and "dodging the issue".

You don't have to have the details before you form a judgement on them

Richard Perle
Pentagon adviser

The government has said it broadly supports US plans for a missile defence shield but has said it is seeking more details before giving the project its full backing.

Mr Hoon rejected the criticism saying: "It simply doesn't make sense for the United Kingdom to indicate its support for any particular system when the United States itself has not decided which system it intends to develop."

Dodging the issue

But Richard Perle, a consultant to US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfield, rejected that position.

He told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper: "Basically, I think [Tony Blair] is dodging the issue.

"You don't have to have the details before you form a judgement on them."

He said the Bush administration viewed the British Government's stance as "wishy-washy and ambivalent."

But Mr Hoon said: "I don't accept that for a moment.

Mr Hoon defended the wait and see approach

"The prime minister and President Bush had an excellent meeting towards the end of February in Camp David where they discussed both the need to control the number of offensive weapons as well as defensive weapons," he said.

"President Bush's speech the other day concentrated on precisely that, indicating that there are a range of defensive options that the United States is considering developing whilst at the same time making clear that he intended to reduce the number of offensive weapons in the US arsenal.

"The President said he would ... consult allies, including the United Kingdom, but also I think significantly including Russia before taking any decision as to how specifically to go ahead.

"So therefore in the circumstances it simply doesn't make sense for the United Kingdom to indicate its support for any particular system when the United States itself has not decided which system it intends to develop."

'Make up your mind'

Earlier, shadow foreign secretary Francis Maude said Mr Blair should make up his mind on the issue.

Mr Maude called for a government decision

"He should... say what we've said, which is if the Americans want to do this - and we think there's a very good case for it - then we want to be part of it," he said.

"We want to give ourselves the benefit, and the British public, of having the benefit of having protection against what is still the most cataclysmic threat of all."

Shadow defence secretary Ian Duncan Smith said he hoped the issue would be big in the general election.

"I want to ask people about it," he said.

"I believe it is very important to work with the US on this."

Last week, Prime Minister Tony Blair told the Commons the missile shield was a sensitive issue, while his official spokesman Alistair Campbell later said the government thought the plan was "broadly" a good idea.

But the following day Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said the government should wait to see the details before giving the plans its full support.