ON THE UPDATING OF THE US RADAR STATION IN THULE, GREENLAND

Unofficial translation from Russian

PRESS RELEASE

The United States and Denmark on August 6 signed a package of agreements that actually open the way for updating the American radar station in Thule, Greenland, which will be used in the interests of a US missile defense system.

The American side has repeatedly assured us that the future missile defense system of the United States will not be directed against Russia. Yet the very geography of deployment of the radar station in Greenland provides a reason to assume that into US missile defense objectively is already being set a definite potential capable of damaging Russian security. For us this is all the more alarming signal in view of the fact that the American side is considering the possibility of deploying components of its missile defense in Eastern Europe as well, in direct proximity to Russia's borders.

The Russian side notes that in the conditions of the considerable strategic nuclear potential reductions, on which Russia and the United States have agreed, one cannot rule out the possibility of the appearance of a threat to Russia's deterrence forces over the long term.

In this connection the Russian side will carefully analyze the situation from the point of view of its own security interests and reserves the right to take all the measures necessary for maintaining it at the proper level.

August 9, 2004