Source:
LA TimesU.S. steps up missile system push in Eastern EuropeThe effort may escalate the issue into an international dispute, depending on Moscow's reaction.
By Peter Spiegel, Times Staff Writer
7:59 PM PDT, April 3, 2007
The Bush administration has begun to step up its efforts to build a controversial missile defense system in Eastern Europe, launching a public push in recent weeks to counter bitter opposition in Russia and to overcome fears of a new arms race elsewhere on the continent.
The move, coming ahead of a major NATO meeting on the project this month, could escalate a simmering diplomatic issue into a significant international dispute, depending on Moscow's reaction and the administration's next moves in its effort to base 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar center in the Czech Republic, both formerly part of the Soviet Bloc.
The senior Pentagon official responsible for overseeing the plan said Tuesday in a briefing that the administration hoped to damp Russian opposition, but that Moscow would not be allowed to derail the project if no agreement was reached with the Kremlin.
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The missile defense system, which would be operated by American soldiers stationed in the Eastern European countries, has become one of the thorniest points of contention between Russia and the U.S., and rhetoric has escalated since December, when Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates gave the go-ahead to seek formal negotiations.
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