Global Security Newswire

Leaders around the world in recent days have expressed their hopes and expectations for relations with the United States under President Barack Obama, according to news reports (see GSN, Nov. 6, 2008).

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Saturday he hoped that Moscow and Washington could together pursue strategic arms control initiatives and address Iran's disputed nuclear activities, the Associated Press reported.

Putin also welcomed what he called hints that Obama's administration might reconsider plans to deploy missile shield elements in Poland and the Czech Republic. Obama has expressed support for the overall U.S. missile defense effort while calling for thorough vetting of any systems prior to deployment (see GSN, Jan. 16).

The Russian leader tempered his optimism, though, stating that Moscow would "wait and see" how the new U.S. leader moves forward. "It is my deep belief that the most bitter disappointments usually result from excessive expectations," he said (Vladimir Isachenkov, Associated Press I/International Herald Tribune, Jan. 17).

Iran yesterday said Obama must adopt "practical policies" toward relations between the two nations, Agence France-Presse reported.

The "traditional way of looking at [the Middle East] ... will bring nothing," said Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.

Obama has indicated his willingness to deal directly with Iran over atomic work in the Middle Eastern state that could support nuclear weapons development. However, Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton has said that all options should remain for resolving the standoff, including potential air strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Tehran has said its nuclear activities have no military component (see GSN, Jan. 14; Siavosh Ghazi, Agence France-Presse/Google News, Jan. 17).

Addressing the possibility that Obama might seek Syrian assistance to resolve the Iranian nuclear crisis, President Bashar Assad said: "We would gladly contribute to stabilizing the region. ... But we must be included and not, as up to now, isolated," Der Spiegel reported. Assad, though, said he believes that Tehran's nuclear activities are strictly civilian in nature.

Obama's presidency has boosted optimism that U.S.-Syrian relations could improve after the rocky relationship that the countries experienced under former U.S. President George W. Bush, according to AP.

"We are ready for any form of cooperation that is also helpful for America's relations with other countries," Assad said, adding that "the world situation has worsened in every way in the last eight years" during the Bush administration (Associated Press II/International Herald Tribune, Jan. 17).

In New Delhi, officials expressed concern that the Obama administration could pursue international bans on nuclear weapons tests and producing fissile material for bombs, Inter Press Service reported today (Praful Bidwai, Inter Press Service, Jan. 21).

A private industry representative echoed official concerns, the Press Trust of India reported. "There are people in the Obama administration who have [a] strong feeling that India should sign the [Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty] to which we have had objections. These are potential areas of differences," said Tarun Das, chief mentor for the Confederation of Indian Industry (Press Trust of India/Hindustan Times, Jan. 21)..

New Delhi is also worried about Obama's commitment to a U.S.-Indian civilian nuclear trade agreement ratified last year (see related GSN story, today). As a Democratic senator from Illinois, Obama pursued limits on how much fuel power plant fuel India could store under the pact (Bidwai, Inter Press Service). The new U.S. president should reconsider an international ban on selling nuclear technology to India that could support its nuclear weapons program, said Amit Mitra, secretary general of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (PTI).