A NATO spokesman confirmed Wednesday that the United States and Russia will continue their consultations on Washington's missile defense plan in mid-October in Moscow.
However, no exact date has been fixed for the third round of talks between the two nations, NATO spokesman James Appathurai told a press conference.
Earlier Wednesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said Moscow and Washington remain far apart on missile defense issues after two rounds of consultations.
"Two rounds of consultations have been held, but I cannot say that our positions have been made closer," Kislyak told reporters.
Washington plans to deploy a missile base in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic, and is currently in negotiations with the two countries.
Russia, which strongly opposes to the U.S. plan, has suggested the United States sharing with it a radar station in Gabala, Azerbaijan.
At the press conference, NATO spokesman Appathurai also confirmed a joint operation by Afghan and international forces on Wednesday aimed at driving Taliban elements out of their traditional strongholds.
Some 2,500 Afghan and International Security Assistance Force ( ISAF) soldiers launched the new operation early Wednesday in the southern province of Helmand.
The mission of the operation, which is still in early stages and focused on the province's Upper Gereshk Valley, is to identify the Taliban fighters and drive them out of their traditional strongholds, in order to create conditions for reconstruction and development, enhance security for local people, and to support the provincial government, said Appathurai.
Meanwhile, he said it is a top priority for NATO to train and equip the Afghan national forces to develop their own capabilities to defend themselves.
He also said that NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer will visit New York on Sept. 22-27.
In New York, the NATO chief will attend an Afghanistan meeting to be chaired by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, an international Contact Group meeting on Kosovo, and hold some bilateral meetings.
Source: Xinhua
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