Russia general expects radar talks with U.S. in July
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia and the United States could start consultations next month on Moscow's offer to use jointly an Azeri radar to protect against missile threats, Russian media quoted a top Russian general as saying on Tuesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin made the surprise offer to U.S. President George W. Bush last Thursday after weeks of opposition by the Kremlin to a planned U.S. missile shield in eastern Europe.
"Putin will visit the United States at the beginning of July and there I hope the American side will officially announce its opinion, its decision on the proposal. After that, consultations could start," RIA news agency cited Russia's chief of general staff General Yuri Baluyevsky as telling journalists.
"Judging by the reaction of the U.S. official leadership and my military colleagues, they were shocked and awed (by the offer)," he added.
Putin, keen to avoid Washington placing radar and missile interceptors in Poland and the Czech Republic where Moscow says they could threaten Russian security, had suggested both sides instead used the Qabala radar in Azerbaijan.
One of the biggest radars in the world, Qabala scans the Indian Ocean, the Middle East and most of North Africa.
U.S. officials have stressed they see eastern Europe as the best location to pre-empt missile threats from Iran and the Middle East.
On Friday NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the Azeri site could be "a bit close to the rogue states we are discussing" while stressing it was too early for a definitive judgment.
