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Bush Backs European-Based Missile Defense Plans
From Friday, June 1, 2007 issue.
U.S. President George W. Bush yesterday defended his plans to deploy missile defenses in Eastern Europe, the Associated Press reported. His comments followed scathing remarks yesterday from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who accused Washington of restarting a Cold War-style arms race (see GSN, May 31). Putin and other officials have criticized U.S. plans to put missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic, both former Warsaw Pact nations (see GSN, May 14). U.S. officials, however, have repeatedly stated that the defenses are not intended to and would not defeat Russian strategic missiles. “The Cold War is over,” Bush told reporters yesterday. “We're now into the 21st century, where we need to deal with the true threats, which are threats of radical extremists who will kill to advance an ideology, and the threats of proliferation.” Bush spoke on the eve of a trip he plans next week in Europe, where part of his mission is discuss the missile defense issue with Putin. “He thinks it's aimed at him. It's not,” Bush said. “Russia is not hostile. Russia is a friend.” Rather, the defenses would be designed to address the threat of Iranian ballistic missiles, he said. “I'm deeply concerned about Iran having a nuclear weapon that could fly toward Europe, or, for that matter, toward any other allies,” Bush said. “And we don't want to ever have ourselves in a position where the world could become blackmailed. And, therefore, one way to deal with this issue is through a missile defense system” (Jennifer Loven, Associated Press/San Diego Union-Tribune, June 1).
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