Russia sees 'new page' in US ties: Medvedev

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Obama to meet Chinese foreign minister
US President Barack Obama is to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi at the White House on Thursday, in an apparent sign both sides want to tone down a series of recent rows. Obama is to take the symbolic step of meeting the foreign minister, which is not standard protocol but has been used sparingly by previous presidents, following Yang's talks with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday. "The president looks forward to discussing issues of mutual concern with the Chinese foreign minister," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, saying Yang would first meet national security advisor James Jones then go with him into talks with Obama. "The incident involving the boats of the two countries will be on that list for discussion. I don't think it will overshadow it, but I think the president will continue to make clear our country's position." The spat between Washington and Beijing began after the Pentagon said Chinese vessels had harassed a US Navy ship in international waters in the South China Sea. Beijing hit back on Tuesday rejecting that account and demanding the United States cease what it called illegal activities in the area. The two sides have also been sparring over the last two days over US expressions of concern over China's human rights record in Tibet. Gibbs said Obama's talks with Yang, who also met former president George W. Bush as foreign minister, would also focus on the global economic crisis. Earlier, Yang met Clinton at the State Department as both sides played down recent tensions. But Clinton said after her talks with Yang that the new US administration was "absolutely committed" to defending human rights following criticism it was too soft on China. During a visit to China last month, Clinton caused a stir among human rights groups when she said that alleged human rights abuses in China "can't interfere" with efforts to deal with the financial crisis, climate change and security.

by Staff Writers
Moscow (AFP) March 11, 2009
President Dmitry Medvedev Tuesday predicted a "new page" in Russia-US relations under Barack Obama, amid reports Moscow is shelving a missile delivery to Iran that risked irking Washington.

"The signals being received from the US president are completely positive," Medvedev said after a meeting with members of a US commission on Russia relations, including Senator Chuck Hagel and former senator Gary Hart.

In the last years "relations between the United States and Russia deteriorated severely. This makes us sad. But now there is a chance to open a new page in our relations," said Medvedev.

Medvedev also comfirmed he would meet Obama for the first time on April 1 in London, on the eve of the G20 summit in the British capital.

The president's comments were his most upbeat assessment yet of the chances of a turnaround in relations frayed by rows over the 2008 Georgia war and missile defence.

They remarks coincided with a report by the Interfax news agency that Russia may shelve the delivery of its advanced S-300 air defence missile system to Iran.

"Such a possibility is not excluded. The question must be decided at a political level, especially as the contract was worked out on a purely commercial basis," an unnamed source told the news agency.

The fulfillment of the S-300 contract is particularly controversial as such weapons could significantly upgrade Iranian air-defence capabilities at a time of mounting tension with the West.

The source said that the contract was signed in 2005 but the delivery had still not taken place. There was no official confirmation but Interfax is known for running stories with high-ranking military sources.

The comment was published less than a month after Iranian defence minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar met his Russian counterpart, Anatoly Serdyukov for talks whose substance was never officially disclosed.

But the Kommersant newspaper cited unnamed sources as saying at the time Russia was unwilling to supply the weapons at a time when it wants to improve relations with the new US administration Obama.

The United States has never ruled out the option of a military strike against the Islamic republic over its contested nuclear drive, which Western powers fear could be aimed at making an atomic bomb.

Washington is also uncomfortable with Russia's work to build Iran's first nuclear plant in the southern city of Bushehr. The much delayed facility is to start operating by August 22, Iranian officials said on Tuesday.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov had on Friday held their first bilateral meeting in Geneva, marking the beginning of a thaw in relations between the two superpowers.

They agreed to work towards a fresh start on missile defence and disarmament issues, including their START disarmament treaty, which is due to expire by December 5.

Russia's war in Georgia in August over the breakaway region of South Ossetia sent relations between Russia and the West plummeting to lows not seen since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Moscow also reacted furiously to plans by the former administration of George W. Bush to place missile defence facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic, saying the move was directly aimed against Russia.

But US Vice President Joe Biden has declared it was time to "press the reset button" in relations and Medvedev has repeatedly spoken of his hopes of the new US administration.

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Russia sees 'new page' in US ties: Medvedev

Moscow (AFP) March 11, 2009
President Dmitry Medvedev Tuesday predicted a "new page" in Russia-US relations under Barack Obama, amid reports Moscow is shelving a missile delivery to Iran that risked irking Washington.

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