United States: Russian plan cannot supplant U.S. missile defense

BRUSSELS, Belgium - NATO eagerly awaited details of Russia's proposal for a joint anti-missile defense system, but the United States said Thursday that no matter what the plan contains it couldn't replace the U.S. missile defense system now being tested.

Russia, and even some of the allies, oppose American plans to deploy a limited system aimed at intercepting incoming missiles fired by what the United States calls rogue states. Russian President Vladimir Putin has countered with a proposal to cooperate with NATO on such a system. Details remain vague, however.

''We welcome the prospect of cooperation in principle, but as a supplement, not as a substitute for the timely deployment of the system which we have in mind,'' said Walter Slocombe, U.S. undersecretary of defense.

A final test of the American system is scheduled for early July, and President Clinton is scheduled to decide in the autumn whether to go ahead with deployment.

Moscow says the U.S. plan is a threat to European security because it could be expanded to defeat a Russian missile attack. The United States insists that's not true, but Putin has warned Moscow will pull out of all nuclear arms agreements if the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty is breached.

U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen briefed his 18 NATO colleagues Thursday on the results of the weekend U.S.-Russia in Moscow.

The ministers were hoping Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev would bring details of the Putin proposal with him for the meeting of the NATO-Russia Joint Permanent Council scheduled for Friday morning.

''It's very unclear exactly what the Russians have in mind,'' Cohen said, adding that whatever it is it could not be a substitute for the American national missile defense system. The defense secretary suggested it could even be a ploy.

''It could be a constructive proposal, but it could be simply a tactic to divide the European members of NATO from the United States,'' he told reporters. ''I think there has been an attempt over the last year or two to divide the Europeans from NATO.''

NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson and Cohen both delivered blunt messages to allied defense ministers about living up to their commitment to upgrade their military capability and increase defense spending. They pressed the Europeans to move faster toward the goals agreed to at the NATO summit a year ago aimed at closing the gap between American and allied forces.

''We simply do not have enough of the flexible, mobile forces needed for the new century,'' Robertson told a news conference.

''Strong defense means two things for NATO nations - spending wisely, but also spending enough,'' he said. ''Europe in particular has to live up to its stated ambition to play a stronger defense role. You cannot get defense on the cheap and there can be no real security without adequate resources.''

The capabilities gap was clearly illustrated during the 78-day air campaign against Yugoslavia last year, when Americans were obliged to fly the vast majority of combat, surveillance and refueling missions as well as providing nearly all the intelligence and much of the logistics.

Robertson said the Kosovo campaign was ''an alarm bell also ringing on our weaknesses. And that alarm bell is still ringing.''