Nato/Russia

US to ask Russia not to sell missiles to Iran, as Nato resumes diplomacy with Moscow

Article published on the 2009-03-06 Latest update 2009-03-06 08:22 TU

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Nato Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels, 5 March 2009
(Photo: AFP)

The United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, is to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Friday in Geneva, to improve US-Russia ties, and raise the issue of arms sales to Iran. The meeting comes a day after Nato agreed to resume high-level talks with Moscow, seven months after the Russian war with Georgia over South Ossetia.

“We will… raise with Russia their continuing discussions with Iran about selling longer-range missiles, which we think are a threat to Russia as well as to Europe and their neighbours in the region,” said Clinton at the Nato summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Russia and Iran have been in negotiations for Moscow to deliver S-300 missiles to Iran, which could use to defend against an airstrike on its nuclear facilities. Russia’s state-owned arms export company, Rosoboronexport, said in a statement that it was delivering “defensive” anti-aircraft systems, but did not comment on the S-300s.

The meeting between Clinton and Lavrov comes after US President Barack Obama sent a letter to his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev asking him to join forces on issues like Iran, nuclear arms and missile defence.

Obama has ordered a review of a contentious expansion of its anti-missile defence shield into Europe, indicating that there would not be as much of a need for the system if Moscow helps with the missile threat from Iran.

At a Nato Foreign Ministers meeting Thursday, Clinton said it was "time to move ahead" with Russia. Nato agreed to resume diplomatic talks with Russia, over the objections of Lithuania.

“Ministers reached agreement to formally resume the Nato-Russia Council, including at ministerial level,” said the Nato’s Secretary General, Japp de Hoop Scheffer.

The meetings between the military alliance and Russia were suspended in August, in reaction to Moscow sending troops into Georgia.

Scheffer said that while there are still “quite a number of areas where we have fundamental differences of opinion”, the partnership is important to provide logistical support for Nato-led forces in Afghanistan.