Fischer not to mediate in missile talks

Fischer arrives in Russia for talks over missile defence plans

MOSCOW, Russia -- Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said on Monday that he would investigate conflicting positions between Washington and Moscow on U.S. plans for missile defenses.

Fischer, speaking to reporters at the outset of two days of talks with Russian leaders, also said that President George W. Bush's decision to proceed with arms cuts were unlikely to settle Russian opposition towards the project.

Russia, backed by China, has led opposition to National Missile Defence (NMD) and to what it sees as changes to the 1972 U.S.-Soviet Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty that would inevitably follow.

"This isn't about standing in the middle. We are a member of NATO and the United States is our most important partner in all security issues and in many other matters," Fischer told reporters at Vnukovo airport.

"Russia also has major significance for European security. We're trying here to sound out the differing positions."

He also said Russia was less of a problem than China in terms of opposition to the scheme.

Beijing objects strongly to a smaller Theater Missile Defense system intended to protect American troops and allies in Asia.

Fischer is the latest European official to exchange views with Moscow and air reservations about the NMD plan, intended to guard the United States against attack from what it calls "rogue states."

Fischer has also launched talks with Gennady Seleznyov -- speaker of the State Duma lower house of parliament -- before seeing his Russian opposite number, Igor Ivanov.

German officials said he told Seleznyov the missile issue needed an approach "based on cooperation, not on confrontation."

A defense expert urged Moscow to confer with other states to develop an alternative to the U.S. system, already suggested by Russian President Vladimir Putin but with few details.

Andrei Kokoshin, a member of parliament and former secretary of Russia's Security Council told Ekho Moskvy radio that U.S. concerns over North Korea, Iran and Iraq needed to be addressed.

Kokoshin said: "Here international cooperation has not been worked out as it should."

Sergei Ivanov, current Security Council secretary, said last week NMD could generate a new arms race in space and that U.S. concerns would be better met by "common political effort."

The French, German and Swedish defense ministers have passed through Moscow in recent weeks and expressed doubts about NMD. All of whom support Russia on the importance of the ABM treaty.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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