Implementation of the United States missile-defense project will not make Central and Eastern Europe a buffer zone, Assistant Secretary of State for International Security John C. Rood said on Thursday.
Following talks on the issue in Budapest with Russia's representative, Rood said the anti-missile system is designed to protect the United States against possible attacks from the Middle East, and not to threaten Russia, MTI news agency reported.
He noted that in recent years both the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Iran had developed missile capacities, and this was a real and growing danger.
Russia respects the U.S. position and the United States now shares information with Russia which in earlier times was accessible to NATO partners only, the American official said.
Responding to a question, Rood said that Budapest had been chosen as the venue for the fourth meeting of American and Russian experts on the planned anti-missile system because of its favorable geographical location.
At the meeting, Russia was represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak.
The United States wants to build an anti-missile shield in eastern Europe, a radar system in the Czech Republic and a missile interceptor site in Poland allegedly to defend the United States and Europe from possible missiles from the DPRK and Iran. But Russia sees it as a threat to Russia's security.
Source: Xinhua
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