Sources said the session will be held on the eve of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Bill Clinton that will take place at the Millenium Summit.

In the strategic stability group, Russia will be represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Mamedov, and the U.S., by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbot.

At the meeting, "a whole complex of strategic stability issues will be discussed, including already available and new initiatives in the sphere of bilateral and multi-lateral cooperation to strengthen international security, to continue the reduction of arms, and to improve missile-nuclear non-proliferation regimes," the sources said.

It is possible that North Korea's initiative to curtail its missile program in exchange for international assistance in launching North Korean satellites will be addressed as well.

The sources laid special emphasis on the fact that the upcoming Russian-U.S. consultations "will be based on agreements to step up dialogue on strategic stability issues" that were reached in the course of the last meetings between the Russian and U.S. presidents in Moscow and at the Okinawa summit.

The sources recalled that in their joint statement on cooperation in the field of strategic stability, which was adopted at the Okinawa summit, the leaders of both countries stressed their "adherence to the search for new ways of cooperation to limit the proliferation of missiles and missile technologies" and said they were starting a more intensive discussion of issues relating to the promptest possible enforcement of the START II Treaty and the further reduction of strategic forces under the future START III Treaty, as well as ABM issues.

Moscow and Washington have said they are ready to resume and expand cooperation in the sphere of theater ABM, as well as to consider the possibility of involving other states in it.

Russian-U.S. consultations on strategic stability issues have been held regularly since February 1999. However, so far the parties have not been able to reach an agreement on the destiny of the ABM Treaty.

Washington wants amendments, which will allow the deployment of a limited national ABM system, to be made to the Treaty. Moscow opposes reconsideration of the ABM Treaty and believes that the implementation of the U.S. plans will destroy the entire system of strategic stability in the world and will initiate a new arms race.

Russia's position on the ABM Treaty "remains unchanged," diplomatic sources have told Interfax.

Copyright 2000 Interfax. All rights reserved. The material on this page is provided by Interfax and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

SPACEWAR.COM
Clinton Leaves Missile Shield Deployment To Successor
Washington (AFP) Sept 1, 2000 - US President Bill Clinton said Friday he would leave to his successor a decision on whether to deploy a controversial national missile shield that many fear may spark a new arms race.