(Updates with Russia's NATO envoy in paragraphs 7-8)
By James Kilner and Christian Lowe
MOSCOW, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The United States is ready to
look at re-modelling its missile defence plans to include
Moscow, a senior U.S. diplomat said on Friday in a concession to
Russian opposition.
The Kremlin has been pressing Washington to give ground on
the proposed missile shield in exchange for Russia helping
supply the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan -- a
priority for new President Barack Obama.
Washington and Moscow have in the past discussed a
compromise deal that would give Russia a role in the U.S. shield
but those talks petered out in the last days of the previous
U.S. administration.
"(Washington is) open to the possibility of cooperation,
both with Russia and NATO partners, in relation to a new
configuration for missile defence which would use the resources
that each of us have," Interfax news agency quoted U.S.
Undersecretary of State William Burns as saying.
The U.S. embassy in Moscow confirmed the text of the
interview. Burns, a former ambassador to Moscow, was in Russia
this week for talks with officials.
Burns gave no details on what form the new missile defence
configuration might take, but the wording he used appeared to go
further than previous U.S. proposals aimed at easing Russia's
concerns.
Russia's ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, told Reuters in
an interview that Moscow would have to wait to see how
Washington follows up on Burns' remarks.
But he said if the United States reviewed its missile
defence plans "it will be a big present not just to Russia but a
gift to Europe and Russia and the American people themselves
because we will be able to find an alternative answer for the
defence of our peoples from rogue states".
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said last week he wanted to
hit the "reset button" on diplomatic relations with Russia,
which reached their lowest level since the Cold War under former
U.S. President George W. Bush.
The Bush administration pushed ahead with plans to deploy
interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic
to counter possible missile strikes from what it called "rogue
states", specifically Iran.
Moscow says Tehran does not have the capability of hitting
Europe and sees the shield as designed to neutralise Russia's
nuclear arsenal. It has threatened to deploy missiles on
Poland's border if the shield goes ahead.
COMPROMISE DEAL?
The Obama administration has said it will press on with the
missile shield plan, but only if it is proven to work and is
cost-effective -- a qualification seen in Moscow as a sign
Washington is ready to compromise.
Negotiations under the previous U.S. administration focused
on allowing Russian officials to verify that missile defence
installations were not directed against Russia.
Russia proposed a joint missile defence system, with the
Pentagon having access to data from a Russian-operated radar
station in ex-Soviet Azerbaijan, which borders Iran.
But neither of the two negotiating tracks was able to bridge
the fundamental differences over missile defence.
Afghanistan is a major bargaining chip for Russia in
negotiations over missile defence.
The Pentagon wants Russian cooperation to supply its forces
in Afghanistan, especially since convoys of trucks taking in
equipment via Pakistan were attacked by militants.
Russian officials said this week they were open to providing
the U.S. military with a transit corridor for non-lethal
supplies, though they have given strong hints they want
something in exchange from Washington.
(Additional reporting by Conor Sweeney; Editing by Alison
Williams)
