Report: Obama sought Russian deal on Iran

[March 03, 2009]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama suggested to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that the United States would back off plans for a missile defense system in Eastern Europe in exchange for help stopping Iran from developing long-range weapons, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

Obama made the proposal in a secret letter that was hand-delivered to Medvedev three weeks ago, the Times reported, citing anonymous U.S. sources.

An Obama administration official confirmed Tuesday that Obama sent a letter to Medvedev "that covered a broad range of issues, including missile defense and how it relates to the Iranian threat." The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, did not confirm that Obama suggested he would back off the missile defense system if Russia helped stop Iran from developing long-range weapons.

The Kremlin said Tuesday that Obama's letter to Medvedev offered no trade-off on missile defense and Iran.

Russia has vigorously opposed the missile shield, which would include sites in the Czech Republic and Poland, since it was proposed by the Bush administration. The stated aim of the shield is to deter Iran from launching nuclear-tipped missiles at U.S. allies in Europe.

According to the Times, Obama's letter said the U.S. would not need to build the missile defense system if Iran's efforts to build a nuclear weapon were halted.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urged the United States on Monday to restore diplomatic relations with Iran, Russian news agencies reported. "This would be an important element in stabilizing the situation in the region," he said.

Lavrov is scheduled to hold talks with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Geneva on Friday in the highest-level meeting between the two nations since Obama took office.

The Russian daily Kommersant, citing its own unnamed sources in Washington, first reported on the letter Monday. The Russian paper also reported that Obama had accepted an invitation from Medvedev to visit Moscow, although no date had been agreed upon.

At a February gathering of NATO defense chiefs in Krakow, Poland, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Washington would review the missile plan "in the context of our relationship with both Poland and the Czech Republic" as well as with NATO and Russia. The language marked a departure from the tone of the Bush administration, which enthusiastically promoted the plan and signed deals last year with Warsaw and Prague.

Gates said that if Moscow really wants to stop the missile shield, it should help eliminate the threat of a missile attack from Iran.

The Obama administration has been vocal about its desire to repair rifts between the U.S. and Russia. In Munich last month, Vice President Joe Biden told a gathering of world leaders, "It's time to press the reset button and to revisit the many areas where we can and should be working together with Russia."

[Associated Press; By STEVEN R. HURST]

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