MOSCOW =97 A missile defense system the United States wants to build would=
=20
lead to a Cold War-style arms race, mutual suspicion and uncertainty, a top=
=20
Russian commander warned.=20
If the defense system is built, Russia may drop out of all disarmament=20
treaties, close its borders to U.S. arms observers and begin stockpiling=20
nuclear weapons, the commander of Russia's Strategic Missile Forces, Col.=
=20
Gen. Vladimir Yakovlev, said in a newspaper interview published Tuesday.=20
"We will fully withdraw from all inspection measures and will not let anyon=
e=20
close to our arms. Russia will not know what is going on in the United=20
States. Americans will not know what is going on in Russia," Yakovlev told=
=20
the daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta.=20
Moscow staunchly opposes U.S. plans to amend the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missil=
e=20
treaty so it can build a limited missile defense system.=20
Foreign Ministry spokesman Vladimir Rakhmanin on Tuesday also denounced the=
=20
first test of the proposed missile defense system, saying it already violat=
es=20
the ABM treaty, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.=20
During the test Saturday, an unarmed Minuteman missile was launched from th=
e=20
Marshall Islands to intercept a missile fired from California.=20
The missile defense system would protect the United States against nuclear=
=20
missile strikes by terrorists or rogue nations, and not against an attack=
=20
from a major nuclear power.=20
But Russia insists the system would upset the strategic balance of powers.=
=20
"If the United States throws out the 1972 ABM treaty, they will effectively=
=20
become the culprit for a disruption of the process of limiting nuclear=20
weapons," Yakovlev was quoted as saying.=20
"All agreements that have been signed or are being prepared, will come unde=
r=20
threat - namely, START-I, START-II and consultations on START-III."=20
Russian officials have repeatedly warned of a new arms race if the missile=
=20
defense system is built. But Russia is broke and can hardly afford a new ar=
ms=20
race with the United States.=20
Still, Moscow can afford to put multiple warheads on its new Topol=20
intercontinental ballistic missiles - something it has refrained from doing=
=20
in the past because of disarmament plans and obligations, Yakovlev said.=20
=20
=20
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 6 Oct 1999 19:16:22 -0700 (PDT)
From: Justin Equal <jufaeq@yahoo.com>
Subject: (abolition-usa) abolition-usa
- --0-1804289383-939262582=:9921
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Not just Japan but also Korea and Finland. And don't forget to read the article about those unfortunate Indian villagers.Starting from: http://cnn.com/ASIANOW/east/9910/05/korea.nuclear.03/index.html
- ---------------------------------
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- --0-1804289383-939262582=:9921
Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii
Not just Japan but also Korea and Finland. And don't forget to read the article about those unfortunate Indian villagers.
