Godlike Productions - News: Gates Says U.S., Russia `Agree to Disagree' on Arms Sales

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Gates Says U.S., Russia `Agree to Disagree' on Arms Sales

Bloomberg

2007-10-13

By Ken Fireman

Oct. 13 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Russian and American officials ``agreed to disagree'' over their respective arms sales to other countries during talks in Moscow yesterday.

Answering a question after a speech to Russian military officers, Gates said the U.S. is chiefly concerned about Russian arms transactions with Iran and Syria.

The deals with Iran are troubling because the country ``has made no secret of its aggressive ambitions,'' Gates said. The supplies to Syria are a concern because of the nation's role as a ``conduit'' to the terrorist group Hezbollah and in destabilizing Lebanon, he said.

Gates spoke to an audience of about 500 Russian officers at the General Staff Military Academy in Moscow at the end of a visit in which he and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discussed differences over missile defense and other issues with their Russian counterparts.

``Your leaders raised their concerns with some of our arms sales,'' Gates said. ``At the end we decided to agree to disagree.''

In his speech, Gates the U.S. and Russia ``face certain security challenges in common'' and have opportunities ``to cooperate in meeting those challenges.''

He outlined U.S. plans to transform its military into a more ``agile and expeditionary'' force capable of waging a ``generational campaign against violent Islamic extremists.''

Failed Talks

The talks failed to resolve Russian complaints about U.S. plans to base parts of a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, two former Soviet allies that are now members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO.

The Russians did agree to study a new U.S. proposal to integrate Russia into the missile defense system and to meet again at the ministerial level in Washington next spring.

Responding to questions, Gates said the U.S. had no plans to station troops in the former Soviet republics of Georgia or Ukraine, ``even if we were to be invited.''

Russian leaders have raised concerns about the basing of NATO forces on the territory of former Soviet allies and about the possibility that ex-Soviet republics might join NATO.

Gates also dismissed as ``the silliest thing I've ever heard'' a question about whether the U.S. would seek to detach Siberia from Russia.

``I've never heard anyone question whether Siberia should be part of Russia,'' he said.

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