Very good.
Now, if only Moscow had a powerful anti-Atlanticist European leader or two in Europe as its partner, who would be willing to pursue a Middle East strategy independent of Washington's design. . . .
<http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-04-24T184113Z_01_L24209157_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-SHIELD-GATES-COL.XML&archived=False> Russian official dismisses U.S. shield cooperation Tue Apr 24, 2007 2:41 PM EDT By Kristin Roberts
WARSAW (Reuters) - Russia's foreign minister on Tuesday dismissed a U.S. offer of cooperation in missile defence activities, marking a setback in Bush administration efforts to convince Moscow and allies of plans for a European shield.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia felt it was being handed a fait accompli by Washington and had no interest in participating in the defence plan.
That came despite an attempt on Monday by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates to allay Russian objections to plans for an anti-missile shield in eastern Europe by offering Moscow a chance to cooperate, for example, by sharing data from early warning systems and conducting joint exercises.
"We have the impression that everything has already been decided in Washington," Lavrov told reporters in Luxembourg. "We cannot really see that we could join."
He also warned the U.S. plan, if implemented, "could destabilize the situation in Europe." -- Yoshie