U.S. discusses missile shield in Greenland

NUUK, Greenland (Reuters) -- Washington's top arms control expert met Danish and Greenland officials Tuesday amid U.S. efforts to secure support for a controversial shield to protect America from missile attacks.

John Holum, the State Department's under secretary for arms control and international security, was to discuss proposals to develop an existing U.S. radar station on the Arctic island as a part of the new national missile defense (NMD) system.

Russia and China strongly oppose the plan and Washington's European allies have been skeptical, fearing it would undermine international arms agreements and prompt a new arms race.

On his arrival in the Greenland capital after flying directly from arms talks with Russian officials in Geneva, Holum suggested to reporters that U.S. President Clinton might make a key decision on the system "within a week or so."

He later backed off, saying: "I don't know exactly when the president will make his decision, if it is going to be days or weeks."

In Washington administration officials rejected the suggestion that Clinton would announce any decision shortly.

At the Pentagon, a senior defense official who asked not to be identified said Defense Secretary William Cohen was still studying a departmental review on the issue and was unlikely to send his recommendation to Clinton before early September.

A State Department official, asked about Holum's remarks, only noted that Holum was discussing the issue in Greenland and added: "The president will make his NMD decision later this year."

Cohen said last month Clinton would decide by early September whether to keep the missile shield program on a fast track for deployment in 2005.

But he said the president would leave it for his successor after the November election to decide whether and when to begin actual deployment.

Democratic candidate Vice-President Al Gore favors a cautious approach to NMD, ensuring the technology is feasible before taking big further steps, while Republican candidate George W. Bush backs a more ambitious program that would ultimately protect not just America but its allies.

The ballistic missile early-warning system (BMEWS) radar at the U.S. Thule air base in the north-west of Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark, is one of five installations that must be upgraded to become part of the NMD.

The governments of Denmark and Britain, which also houses a radar site needed for the NMD, have said that since they have not received any formal request they do not need to make a decision now on whether to permit Washington to use their facilities.

Cohen said last month a decision on whether to upgrade the radar facilities must be made by 2001 to keep the program on a fast track for deployment by 2005.

Pentagon and other analysts have warned that that timetable is unlikely to be met. The plans were dealt a setback in July with the failure of a test firing over the Pacific and news that development of a booster rocket to launch the interceptors to shoot down incoming missiles was behind schedule.

Washington says countries it has dubbed "states of concern" such as North Korea, Iraq, Iran and Libya may be acquiring the capability to fire long-range ballistic missiles against the United States.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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