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Missile Shield Decision May Be Weeks
Away-Official |
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Reuters
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NUUK, Greenland (Reuters) - A decision by President Clinton on whether to go ahead with the controversial U.S. missile shield project may still be weeks away, a senior State Department official said Tuesday.
``I don`t know exactly when the president will make his decision, if it is going to be days or weeks,`` John Holum, undersecretary for arms control and international security, said before a meeting between U.S., Danish and Greenland officials.
A U.S. delegation led by Holum arrived in Greenland on Monday for talks with about using a ballistic missile early- warning system (BMEWS) radar at the U.S. Thule airbase in the northwest of the vast Arctic island, which belongs to Denmark.
Upon his arrival in the capital Nuuk Monday, Holum told Danish DR1 television news that Clinton was due to make his decision ``within the next week or so`` on the $60 billion project, strongly opposed by Russia and China and criticized by some NATO allies as well.
``There hasn`t been a decision to proceed with national missile defense but it`s something we are actively considering because of the change in the threat,`` he told DR1.
Washington says countries it has dubbed ``states of concern`` such as North Korea, Iraq, Iran and Libya may be acquiring the capability to fire long-range ballistic missiles against the United States.
Tuesday, before the start of the talks held under the title ``NMD Consultations,`` Holum said Clinton ``is waiting for the report from the secretary of defense about the technical situation.``
Defense Secretary William Cohen said last month Clinton would decide by early September whether to keep the missile shield program on a fast track for deployment in 2005, but would leave it for his successor after the November election to decide whether and when to begin initial deployment.
The Thule radar in Greenland is one of five installations that must be upgraded to become part of the NMD, which some security policy analysts believe could spark a new arms race.
The governments of Denmark and Britain, which also houses a radar site needed for the NMD, have said that since they have not received any formal request they do not need to make a decision now on whether to permit Washington to use their facilities.