Moscow, 22 September: Russia will not make any concessions due to the USA deciding not to deploy missile defence elements in Europe, the deputy director of the Institute for US and Canada Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Pavel Zolotarev, has said.

"There were no political preconditions for this decision (regarding missile defence) from the current American administration. It was a purely pragmatic decision based on a forecast of genuine security threats.
Therefore it has nothing to do with political concessions by Russia," Zolotarev told Interfax on Tuesday (22 September).

Furthermore, the academic expressed doubt that the USA would never again return to its plans to deploy American missile defence elements in Eastern Europe. Therefore, according to him, "there can be no talk of any concessions".

Zolotarev does not think either that the USA can ask Russia to change its position and exert pressure on Iran. "There should not be like-mindedness within the Five Plus One group (five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany). Otherwise it will not be able to devise effective solutions," he thinks. The academic noted that these solutions should not come down to merely exerting pressure on Iran, and should not back Iran into a corner.

"The differences of opinion which have existed between Russia and the USA on tactical policy towards Iran under a common overall strategic goal may remain. There is nothing wrong with this. Moreover, I think that this is simply necessary," said Zolotarev.

He also thinks that Russia's position on Iran will not depend on the USA's decision regarding missile defence. According to the political scientist, the USA's decision not to deploy missile defence elements in Europe opens up the opportunity for bilateral cooperation between Russia and the USA in the sphere of ?primarily regional missile defence.

Zolotarev recalled that at one time, under Russian President Vladimir Putin, proposals were made to the American side providing in particular for joint use of Russian radar stations in Armavir and Qabala (in Azerbaijan) with the USA, as well as opening joint centres for exchanging information on missile launches and technological cooperation over developing missile defence elements.

"The option of constructing a joint missile defence system using both American and Russian elements was earlier worked on during exercises in Russia," recalled the academic. He added that "this direction could be continued in the future".

Furthermore, Zolotarev does not see a connection between the American administration deciding not to deploy missile defence elements in Europe and the signing of a new START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty).

"The current decision of the Americans on missile defence will, in practice, have nothing to do with the treaty, which should be signed in December," he thinks.

Meanwhile, the academic stressed that the USA revising its missile defence plans creates a favourable political climate "for the issues on which we did not find any compromise settlements before to be solved more quickly".

Zolotarev does not see anything wrong with work on the text of the new START treaty perhaps not finishing by 5 December, when the old treaty expires. "Even if this is done in January, it will also be acceptable," he said.

"If the negotiators have dug their heels in over certain figures and have no room for manoeuvre, this is when the presidents will get involved, because ultimately all these figures with minor deviations right and left are not so fundamental. These are more likely to be deadlock situations dictated simply by the positions of the negotiators, which might largely by based on emotional concerns, but nothing more," thinks Zolotarev.

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