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Iran Six weighs new sanctions against Tehran over dialogue.
Iran Six mediators are discussing the transition from talks to new sanctions in response to Iran's refusal to fold its controversial nuclear program, a senior U.S. diplomat said on Wednesday.
Iran, which is already under three sets of United Nations sanctions for refusing to halt uranium enrichment, recently announced plans to build 10 new uranium enrichment facilities. Western powers suspect it of pursuing an atomic weapons program.
"At present, we are considering the possibility of a transition from dialogue to sanctions because we have always had two parallel ways [to solve this problem]," U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Beyrle said in an interview with Echo Moskvy radio.
"The hope is always there that Iran could finally respond positively on IAEA proposals, but if not, we have to be prepared for something more serious [than talks]," Beryrle said.
The U.S. diplomat also praised the changes in the Russian stance on the Iranian nuclear problem, which have recently moved Moscow closer to Washington's assessment of the potential Iranian threat.
"Tactically, I would say we are closer than ever before," he said, adding that neither Russia nor the United States wanted to see a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
The Iran Six are Russia, the United States, China, Britain, France and Germany.
The mediators have long been trying to persuade Tehran to halt uranium enrichment not only through sanctions but also in exchange for economic and diplomatic incentives.
Iran Six envoys last met in New York on January 16 but decided against immediate sanctions against Tehran in the hope to find new political and diplomatic solutions to the problem.
Although Russia is seen as having moved closer to the U.S. position, China is still viewed as stalling on any move toward further sanctions.
MOSCOW, January 20 (RIA Novosti)
Poland to move U.S. Patriots closer to Russian border.
U.S. Patriot missiles will be stationed in northern Poland about 60 miles (100 km) from the border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad rather than near Warsaw, the Polish defense minister said on Wednesday.
Polish Radio cited Bogdan Klich as saying the decision to set up a Patriot site in the outskirts of the town of Morag, which is much closer to the Russian border than Warsaw, does not bear any considerations of a strategic nature.
"In Morag we could offer the best conditions for American soldiers and the best technical base for the equipment," Klich said.
Poland and the United States signed a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) last December laying out the conditions for the deployment of U.S. troops on Polish soil.
According to the SOFA, U.S. troops will service Patriot missiles that are to be integrated into Poland's national security system.
The Patriot unit will be manned by some 100 U.S. soldiers, and will comprise up to eight missile launchers.
The first U.S. troop rotation is expected to arrive in Poland by the end of March.
Russia has strongly opposed the previous U.S. administration's plans to place 10 long-range ground-based interceptor missiles in Poland and a fixed-site radar station in the Czech Republic. When agreeing to host the missile site, Warsaw demanded the Patriots' deployment to improve its defensive capabilities.
Moscow's opposition to the missile defense system went as far as a threat to deploy Iskander-M tactical ballistic missiles in the Kaliningrad exclave, but last September U.S. President Barack Obama shelved the proposed Central European missile shield and Russia said it would not place its missiles near the Polish border.
However, Warsaw has insisted that the Patriot systems be placed in Poland under a bilateral security pact regardless of whether plans for a U.S. interceptor missile base in the country go ahead or not.
Russia has not yet commented on the Polish decision to move the location of the Patriot site closer to its borders.
Patriot (MIM-104) is a theater air-defense system designed to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft.
As well as the U.S., the Patriot is in service in Egypt, Germany, Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan. Patriot missile systems were successfully deployed by U.S. forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
WARSAW, January 20 (RIA Novosti)
Poland says basing Patriot missiles nearer Russia not political.
Poland's decision to deploy a battery of U.S. Patriot missiles just 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Russian border is neither political nor strategic, the Polish defense minister said Wednesday.
Bogdan Klich stressed that the base's proximity to Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad had nothing to do with the decision to station the missiles near the town of Morag rather than outside Warsaw.
"It did not have any significance — neither political nor strategic. The only reason was the good infrastructure," Klich told journalists on Wednesday evening.
Polish media reported earlier Wednesday that Defense Ministry experts came to the conclusion that Morag was the best place for the deployment of the Patriot missiles.
"In Morag we could offer the best conditions for American soldiers and the best technical base for the equipment," Klich said on Polish Radio.
Poland and the United States signed a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) last December laying out the conditions for the deployment of U.S. troops on Polish soil.
According to the SOFA, U.S. troops will service Patriot missiles that are to be integrated into Poland's national security system.
The Patriot unit will be manned by some 100 U.S. soldiers, and will comprise up to eight missile launchers.
The first U.S. troop rotation is expected to arrive in Poland by the end of March.
Russia has strongly opposed the previous U.S. administration's plans to place 10 long-range ground-based interceptor missiles in Poland and a fixed-site radar station in the Czech Republic. When agreeing to host the missile site, Warsaw demanded the Patriots' deployment to improve its defensive capabilities.
Moscow's opposition to the missile defense system went as far as a threat to deploy Iskander-M tactical ballistic missiles in the Kaliningrad exclave, but last September U.S. President Barack Obama shelved the proposed Central European missile shield and Russia said it would not place its missiles near the Polish border.
However, Warsaw has insisted that the Patriot systems be placed in Poland under a bilateral security pact regardless of whether plans for a U.S. interceptor missile base in the country go ahead or not.
Russia has not yet commented on the Polish decision to move the location of the Patriot site closer to its borders.
Patriot (MIM-104) is a theater air-defense system designed to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft.
As well as the U.S., the Patriot is in service in Egypt, Germany, Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan. Patriot missile systems were successfully deployed by U.S. forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
WARSAW, January 21 (RIA Novosti)
Yanukovych rejects debate, says Tymoshenko can show off in kitchen.
Ukrainian presidential frontrunner Viktor Yanukovych refused on Wednesday to hold debates with his opponent, saying Yulia Tymoshenko should either take responsibility for every word as prime minister, or go to the kitchen.
"She sees that she has already lost the election and is suggesting I should enter a competition on dirt and lies with her," the leader of the opposition Party of Regions said, quoted by the Unian news agency.
"She is prime minister and must be responsible for her every word. And if she is to be treated as a woman, let her demonstrate her whims in the kitchen," Yanukovych said.
Yanukovych said he has held debates with Tymoshenko for the past five years, and voters showed their preferences in the election's first round on Sunday.
Yanukovych, defeated in the 2004 polls amid vote rigging accusations, garnered 35.3% of the vote on Sunday, while Tymoshenko received 25%. The February 7 runoff is required as none of the candidates won an outright victory with more than 50%.
Tymoshenko criticized Yanukovych for his refusal to take part in televised debates ahead of the initial vote, calling it "common cowardice" and casting doubt on his mental abilities and capability to run the country.
Both Yanukovych, who was openly backed by Moscow in 2004, and Tymoshenko, who has worked with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to resolve the bitter gas disputes of the past year, have pledged to improve ties with Russia. Neither of them took part in televised debates ahead of the first round.
KIEV, January 20 (RIA Novosti)
Ukraine may join NATO Response Force in 2015-16.
Ukraine has been invited to join the NATO Response Force as a partner country in 2015-16, a spokesman for the NATO military committee said Wednesday.
Colonel Massimo Panizzi said Ukraine would become "the first non-NATO country to join the Response Force."
The Response Force consists of rapid deployment forces with land, air and sea components, capable of swiftly reacting to crisis situations.
Panizzi added that the matter would be discussed at a meeting of Ukrainian and NATO chiefs of staff on January 26 in Brussels.
He described the move as "a significant step forward in the implementation of military reform" that NATO is expecting from Kiev "on its way" toward NATO candidate status.
Asked whether other NATO partners could join the Response Force, Panizzi said: "All partners are invited to cooperate within the framework of the process."
Ukraine was one of the first NATO partner countries to offer to play a role in the NATO Response Force.
The country's pro-Western leadership has been pursuing NATO membership since 2004, when President Viktor Yushchenko came to power.
Ukraine failed to secure membership in the NATO Membership Action Plan, a key step toward joining the alliance, at a NATO summit in April 2008.
Russia vehemently opposes the post-Soviet country's NATO ambitions, and in February 2008 the Kremlin threatened to retarget missiles at Ukraine if it joined NATO.
The NATO Response Force is capable of performing missions worldwide across the whole spectrum of operations, including evacuations, disaster management, counterterrorism, and acting as 'an initial entry force' for larger, follow-on forces.
Russia is creating a similar force with its partners in the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
BRUSSELS, January 20 (RIA Novosti)
Looks as though both Russia and China are still protecting Iran, and Russia is trying to sound less like it while trying to discourage the resumption of our bullshit missile bases thing, but Poland is moving one of our chess pieces for us anyway. I wonder what color we're going to assign our election rigging in Ukraine this time... or if we're just going to hope the carrot of NATO membership, despite all, will be tempting enough in light of Ukraine's desire to continue not paying for Russia's gas.... I mean, do they think the threat of losing them to NATO will prevent Russia moving their pipeline somewhere less subject to their thefts, or what?
