Russia to build aerospace defence shield

Russia will build a national aerospace defense shield by the end of 2011, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Viktor Ozerov told reporters on Tuesday in the cosmonauts' training center near Moscow. He believes that a combined aerospace defense force will cooperate more effectively with NATO's European anti-missile defense system.

Last year, President Medvedev approved a plan to merge the Space Forces created in 2001, the Air Defense Forces and also the missile attack warning and space surveillance systems into a single military force. Commenting on the issue, Viktor Ozerov said as follows:

"Space Forces is a branch of the Russian army that focuses on space and ground intelligence, as well as anti-missile security. Cooperation with Russia on anti-missile defence was named among the priorities at the latest Russia-NATO summit in Lisbon. Russia and NATO member states have managed to agree on some aspects of anti-missile shield in Europe, though some difficulties remain with adjusting anti-missile systems of Russia, the US and that of NATO to each other."

During the talks in the Cosmonaut Training Center outside Moscow, deputy chairman of the Russian Federal Space Agency Vitaly Davydov commented on the planned Moon and Mars missions, adding that Russia has been working on a program for the Solar system exploration through 2030.

"President Medvedev asked us to present a program for space exploration until 2030. Before we start making preparations for a piloted Mars mission, we expect to launch several missions to the Moon."

These manned missions may be launched from Russia's new spaceport "Vostochny", which is currently being built in Amur region. The first unmanned capsule is due to take off from the Vostochny in 2015, while the first piloted mission is scheduled for 2018.

Iran Agrees to Nuclear Fuel Swap - NYTimes.com

Iran Agrees to Nuclear Fuel Swap - NYTimes.com

Iran is ready to exchange the bulk of its stockpile of enriched uranium for nuclear fuel rods -- as proposed by the U.N. -- but according to its own mechanisms and timetable, the foreign minister said Saturday.

The minister's remarks come just days before an expected meeting between the U.S. and allies to discuss new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. The offer, however, falls far short of the conditions set by the international community.

Speaking to reporters at a regional security conference in Bahrain, Manochehr Mottaki said Iran agreed with a U.N. deal proposed in October in which up to 2,600 pounds (1,200 kilograms) of its uranium would be exchanged for fuel rods to power its research reactor.

''We accepted the proposal in principle,'' he said through a translator. ''We suggested in the first phase we give you 400 kilograms of 3.5 percent enriched uranium and you give us the equivalent in 20 percent uranium.''

Iran has about 3,300 pounds (1,500 kilograms) of low-enriched uranium and needs to refine to 20 percent to operate a research reactor that produces medical isotopes.

Uranium enriched at low levels can be used as fuel for nuclear energy, but when enriched to 90 percent and above, it can be used as material for a weapon. The United States and five other world powers have been trying to win Iran's acceptance of a deal under which Tehran would ship most of its low-enriched uranium stockpile abroad to be processed into fuel rods, which can't be enriched further.

The deal would leave Iran -- at least temporarily -- without enough enriched uranium to produce a bomb. However, after signaling in October that it would accept the proposal, Iran has since balked, giving mixed signals over the deal, including several statements from lawmakers rejecting it outright.

Mottaki maintained, however, that a clear proposal had been given involving the simultaneous exchange of uranium for fuel rods in stages.

''We gave a clear answer and we responded and our answer was we accepted in principle but there were differences in the mechanism,'' he said, suggesting the exchange take place on Iran's Kish island, in the Persian Gulf.

It is not clear, however, if the low-enriched uranium would then remain on the island or could be shipped out of the country -- a necessary condition to any deal from the standpoint of the international community.

The world powers are also unlikely to accept a long drawn out exchange in stages, as it would allow Iran to maintain enough enriched uranium inside the country to possibly build a weapon.

Iran, meanwhile, wants to receive the fuel rods immediately in exchange for its uranium for fear that France or Russia could renege deal.

Last month, the 35-nation board of the International Atomic Energy Agency endorsed a resolution from the six powers -- the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany -- criticizing Iran for defying a U.N. Security Council ban on uranium enrichment and continuing to expand its operations.

It also censured Iran for secretly building a second facility and demanded that it immediately suspend further construction.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said last month that the U.N. offer has been ''comprehensively rejected'' by Iran. A diplomat from one of the six powers said Wednesday that America's Western allies were waiting for Washington to formally declare the wait for an Iranian response over, probably by the end of this month.

The six countries are expected to meet next week to discuss what action to take over Iran.

EU leaders said they would support further U.N. sanctions unless Tehran starts cooperating over its nuclear program.

Russia Advocates Co-operation with NATO on European Security

Russia has called for renewed cooperation with the West on European security, two days ahead of the resumption of high-level talks between Moscow and NATO.

"The moment has come to establish conditions for cooperation between the United States and Russia because without such actors as NATO we cannot seriously talk about security and political ideas on the continent," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on the sidelines of an OSCE ministerial council in Athens.

Russia has been pressuring NATO to discuss a new European security plan proposed by President Dmitry Medvedev, and presented in final form over the weekend, which he said would finally end Cold War mentalities.

"The basis of this initiative is the intention of forming an indivisible security system in the Euro-Atlantic area" and to reach "a binding accord on European security," Lavrov said in a speech to the Greek-Russian Union.

"We look forward to a precise and constructive response on our initiative," he said. "Russia is not looking to dissolve (existing) European structures and institutions."

Alliance foreign ministers will hold talks on Friday in the highest-level meeting since the NATO-Russia Council was frozen after Moscow's brief war with Georgia in 2008.

Lavrov, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and their NATO counterparts are already due to study a road map for closer cooperation at the Friday talks.

Medvedev's draft treaty was also presented to foreign ministers at the OSCE meeting in Athens but several states said it was too early to comment on it.

Reaction to the proposals has been lukewarm in the West.

Ties between NATO and Russia have recently begun to thaw after tensions rose over the war in Georgia and US plans to extend an anti-missile shield into Europe.

On Wednesday, Lavrov noted that Barack Obama's US presidency had "opened possibilities to reassess Russo-American relations on the basis of principles of equality and reciprocal interest."