U.S. delegation to talk missiles with Russia

From Ryan Chilcote
CNN Producer

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- A delegation of U.S. officials was due to arrive in Moscow on Thursday night for consultations with their Russian counterparts on the U.S. missile defense initiative.

U.S. President George W. Bush has urged that the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty be scrapped to allow for a national missile defense system.

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The delegation, led by Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, was expected to arrive at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport on two U.S. military planes flying from Warsaw, Poland. The delegation is part of a team that has been visiting several European capitals.

Delegation members will be busy while in the Russian capital despite the cool reception to Bush's plan by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Two hours of talks, beginning at 10 a.m. (2 a.m. EDT) Friday, have been scheduled at the Foreign Ministry with Yuri Kapralov, director of the ministry's department of security affairs and disarmament.

The delegation was then expected to pay a courtesy call on Deputy Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Trubnikov. Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov was not expected to be in Russia at the time of the visit.

After the talks at the Foreign Ministry, the delegation may meet with Igor Sergeyev, a military adviser to Putin. Sergeyev was Russia's defense minister until a recent shake-up. That meeting has not yet been confirmed.

Stephen Hadley, deputy national security adviser, and Avis Bohlen, deputy secretary of state for arms control, will accompany Wolfowitz.

Earlier this month, Bush outlined his general plans for a national missile defense system, saying a "new framework" is needed for national defense. The president also called for a reduction in the nation's nuclear stockpile, although he did not cite precise numbers.

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has identified "near-term options" that could allow the United States to deploy an "initial capability" against limited attacks, possibly as early as 2004.