German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has told US President Bill Clinton of his concern over a possible resumption of the arms race because of US plans for a national missile defence system.
Schroeder was speaking after a two-hour meeting with Clinton who arrived in Germany earlier Thursday.
“Everything must be done to prevent a resumption of the arms race,” Schroeder told reporters.
Clinton had set out “in very frank terms” the US position on the question, Schroeder added.
Clinton made no reference to the issue, speaking simply of excellent US-German relations.
He is due in Moscow on Saturday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia strongly opposes the US plan, which will require changes to the anti-ballistic missile (ABM) treaty that Washington signed with the former Soviet Union in 1972.
Recent US newspaper reports have said that senior US intelligence officials have warned that if work on the US missile shield goes ahead, it could set off a nuclear arms race between China, India and Pakistan.
The United States’ NATO allies expressed scepticism about the project at a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Florence, Italy, last week.
French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine said: “Questions need to be asked about the reality and scale of the threats, the technical credibility of the project and its strategic consequences.”
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