U.S. denies missile deadline

MOSCOW, Russia -- U.S. envoy John Bolton has insisted that Washington has set no deadline for agreement with Russia about the future of the 1972 missile treaty.

Bolton was quoted earlier this week as saying in a Russian radio interview that the United States had set a November deadline to overcome differences concerning the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty.

The treaty is at the heart of a diplomatic dispute between Russia and the U.S. which wants to scrap it so that Washington can develop a system capable of shooting down incoming missiles.

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Other nations in Europe and Asia have also expressed reservations about the President George W. Bush's plan for missile defence.

After a 45-minute meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov on Friday Bolton told the Associated Press news agency: "There are no deadlines. There weren't any deadlines on Tuesday, and there aren't any deadlines today."

Russia remains firmly opposed to scrapping the treaty, which it considers a cornerstone of international security.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought in recent months to rally other countries, such as China, to the treaty's defence.

China urged Bush on Friday to heed international concerns and act cautiously after he said the United States would withdraw from the ABM.

"We hope the U.S. government will seriously consider the position of the international community and proceed with caution," the Foreign Ministry said Friday of Bush's planned withdrawal.

Bush has indicated he hopes to reach an accommodation with the Russians to move beyond the treaty.

He is seeking to replace it with another arrangement that would allow the United States to develop and deploy missile defences, which are prohibited by the treaty.

Bush considers the ABM to be a Cold War relic that does not respond to the security threats now facing the U.S., including ballistic missiles that could be deployed by countries hostile to the U.S. such as North Korea or Iran.

Bolton said after Friday's meeting that he discussed consultations held earlier this week with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Mamedov with Ivanov, who has just returned to Moscow from his summer vacation.

The main subject of his discussions was to prepare for a September 19 meeting between Ivanov and Secretary of State Colin Powell.

He is also paving the way for two meetings this autumn between Bush and Putin, first in China in October and later in the United States in November at Bush's Texas ranch.

Earlier, Bolton said the U.S. hoped to make progress on the missile defence issue before the November summit.

But, Bolton said, if no agreement is reached, Washington intends to use its right to withdraw from the treaty after giving six months' notification.