October 28, 2007

U.S., Russia Urge Other States to Join Missile Pact

By REUTERS

Filed at 2:42 p.m. ET

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia and the United States urged all countries to destroy medium range nuclear-capable missiles, in a joint declaration by the former Cold War foes published by the Russian foreign ministry on Sunday.

Concerned that an increasing number of states, including Iran and North Korea, have the technology to make missiles that can travel 5,500 km (3,400 miles), they are calling for their 20-year-old bilateral treaty to become global in character.

"We believe that renunciation of ground-launched intermediate- and shorter-range missiles and their complete elimination in the world would increase the role of the treaty as a model for strengthening international security," the U.S and Russian declaration said.

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If you are a small nuclear power and you have that capability precisely because your neighbor is a problem, then the intermediate and short-range missile ban isn't really what you're after.

Pakistan and India don't have the bomb as a tempering threat against America or Russia. They have it for local threat.

What Russia and America would love to see is a worldwide ban that would uncomplicate things--reduce the main players to the original five. Not bloody likely they'll find any takers, but it makes them sound like they're doing something.

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