Russia, US clash on Kosovo, missile shield

Potsdam, Germany, May 31: Russia and the United States clashed over Kosovo and US missile shield plans today, souring a meeting aimed at preparing the ground for next week's Group of Eight summit on the Baltic coast.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke bluntly on disagreements over Kosovo, a major irritant in Russia's relations with the European Union and United States.

''Our positions are diametrically opposed and I don't see any chances of the positions moving any closer together,'' he told a news conference after the meeting of G8 foreign ministers south of Berlin.

Serbia, backed by Russia, opposes a plan proposed by UN mediator Martti Ahtisaari offering the Albanian majority province independence under international supervision.

Western powers have backed a U.N. resolution that would grant Kosovo effective independence.

Lavrov, however, said other world powers should let Serbs and Kosovo Albanians sort out the question of the future status of the Serbian province themselves.

''Until that happens we don't see any way to solve this problem,'' Lavrov said. ''As to whether we would slap a veto on a Kosovo resolution, I hope that this will not be necessary.'' Rice emphasised Kosovo was an issue of international concern and said she wanted agreement on the issue as soon as possible.

''We and several of my European colleagues here believe that the Ahtisaari report provides the right basis for resolving the issue,'' Rice told the news conference.

G8 president Germany hopes to avoid a showdown between the United States and Russia at the Heiligendamm leaders' summit which will focus on climate change and aid to Africa.

Rice and Lavrov were courteous to each other, joking about their differences on several occasions and mentioning that U.S.

President George W. Bush had invited Russia's Vladimir Putin to his family's home in Maine in July.

But differences over Kosovo and U.S. plans to install a missile shield in central Europe were difficult to hide.

Missile Shield

Lavrov dismissed Rice's comments that Russian opposition to the U.S.'s planned shield was ''ludicrous'' and he said Moscow was still waiting for answers about the system.

''For Russia, this situation is not ludicrous at all.'' ''At the moment all they are saying is 'don't worry it is not aimed at you','' he added.

The United States wants to deploy a radar system in the Czech Republic and 10 interceptor missiles in Poland by 2011-12.

It says the system would counter threats from so-called ''rogue states'' like Iran and North Korea, but Moscow sees it as an encroachment on its former sphere of influence.

Putin warned this week that it would turn the continent into a ''powder keg''. Rice countered the shield was no threat to Russia's nuclear deterrent.

''There are future threats to be concerned about,'' she said.

''One has to plan for the future.'' The foreign ministers appeared more united on some other issues, including the nuclear standoff with Iran.

In a joint statement, the G8 ministers said they regretted that Iran, who western nations suspect wants to build a nuclear bomb, had continued to expand its uranium enrichment activities.

''If Iran continues to ignore demands of the Security Council we will support further appropriate measures as agreed in Resolution 1747,'' they said.

Afghanistan and Pakistan, invited by Germany to the meeting, vowed to deepen cooperation between their governments ''at all levels'', particularly in the fight against terrorism and repatriating Afghan refugees.

The two, who accuse each other of failing to stop a Taliban insurgency, are seeking ways to seal their long, porous border.

Steinmeier, Lavrov, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Rice are meeting in Berlin later to discuss the tense relations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Reuters>