A second day of talks in Vienna between Russia and NATO on the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty has failed to reach a breakthrough.
Russia requested the four-day meeting of the 30 signatory states of the CFE conference in May, after President Vladimir Putin suspended Moscow's participation in the pact.
The treaty, first signed in 1990, sets limits on the number of military aircraft, tanks, and other nonnuclear heavy weaponry that can be deployed between the Atlantic Ocean and the Ural Mountains.
In 1999, the treaty was amended after countries in Central and Eastern Europe joined NATO.
But the United States and other NATO members have refused to ratify the amended version of the treaty, saying Russia must first withdraw troops from Moldova and Georgia.
Russia's desire to update the treaty reflects Moscow's growing anxiety about what it sees as a buildup of U.S. forces in Europe.
First Russia's former Warsaw Pact allies joined NATO, then the United States started talking about putting military bases in Romania and Bulgaria.
Russia's latest objection is to U.S. plans to base parts of an antimissile system in Central Europe, saying it upsets the security balance. The United States says the shield is intended to counter "rogue" threats.
Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
Comment and add to the story without registration, but keep the comments meaningful please. Links are not accepted.
