MOSCOW (Reuters) - Washington will go it alone and pull out of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty if it fails to reach a compromise with Russia on missile defense, a senior U.S. arms official said on Wednesday.Under-Secretary of State John Bolton, wrapping up several days of arms talks in Moscow, said crucial decisions had to be made before the November summit between President Bush and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.(Read photo caption below)
The United States wants to work with Russia ``either to find a way to mutually withdraw from the treaty, or in some way together move beyond the constraints that the ABM treaty places on our development effort,'' Bolton told Echo Moskvy radio.
``If, contrary to what our preference is, we're not able to reach agreement with Russia, then at some point in the not too distant future, we would exercise our express right under the (ABM) treaty to give notice of withdrawal,'' he said.
The pact, which bans the sort of missile defense Bush wants to build, requires any side wishing to abandon the accord to give six months notice. Bolton said a unilateral U.S. pullout from the ABM treaty ``is already in the market'' and would not unduly hurt relations with Moscow.
NO DEADLINE
Bush and Putin agreed in July to link missile defense to mutual cuts in their respective nuclear arsenals, and ordered officials to fast-track talks on a new security relationship.
But Bolton dismissed suggestions that the informal November summit between the two leaders at Bush's ranch had become a deadline for an overall deal.
``I think that the two presidents would be disappointed in us if we didn't have something for them to consider when they get together in Texas,'' Bolton told Ekho Moskvy.
``But we don't...consider it an artificial deadline, and we're going to try and make as much progress as we can, and we'll see what happens,'' he said.
Washington says it needs a missile shield to defend itself from accidental missile launches or attack from ``rogue states'' such as Iraq, Iran, Libya and North Korea. Bolton said some Russian officials believed such nations could pose a greater threat to Moscow than the United States.
``Given the geographical proximity of states like Iran, I think that's a fair assessment on their part,'' he said.
The two sides had agreed to create a ``political mechanism'' to boost cooperation on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The issue would in the future play a greater role in U.S.-Russian ties, he said. Washington says the spread of such know-how makes its missile shield essential.
RUSSIA DIGS IN HEELS
Russia, however, dug in its heels. The Foreign Ministry said in that during talks with Bolton Moscow had ``put the main emphasis on further reductions in strategic offensive weapons, while preserving the ABM treaty in its current form.''
The Interfax news agency quoted a source close to the talks as saying it expected Washington to announce in October or November its intention to quit the ABM treaty.
Moscow wants deep cuts in nuclear arsenals in return for a compromise on missile defense, but insists such a trade-off be legally binding and verifiable. Bolton said Washington was open to the final form of the accord, but preferred ``gentlemen's agreements'' to formal treaties it considers inflexible, time-consuming and outdated.
Time is running out for Moscow to extract concessions from Washington. The United States has warned its testing program with ``bump against'' the ABM treaty within months, not years, and says it will quit the accord rather than violate it.
Russia's limited options were underscored on Tuesday by Washington's announcement that it had approved ground clearance for a missile defense testing site in Alaska.
Bolton said U.S. officials had submerged Moscow with an ''avalanche'' of details about U.S. missile defense plans that should enable both sides to plot a path forward together.
He said he would meet Georgy Mamedov, the Russian arms negotiator with whom he held talks here, in Europe on September 13 or 14, before fresh talks between Secretary of State Colin Powell and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.
PHOTO CAPTION:
U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton adjusts his glasses during a news conference in Moscow Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2001. The United States hopes to reach an agreement on missile defense with Russia before a November summit, but is prepared to use its right to unilaterally withdraw from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty if necessary, the top U.S. official said in a Russian radio interview. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)