(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-11-30 17:04

Russia had threatened for several times to withdraw from the CFE when it was at odds with the United States over US plans to install a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe.

At the October talks in the "two-plus-two" format joined by defense and foreign ministers of the two countries in Moscow, Russia and the United States failed to reach any agreement on missile defense in Europe after Russia refused to give in to US missile defense and CFE demands.

Moscow, by introducing a moratorium on the operation of the CFE treaty, does not aim to damage arms control, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency on November 7 as saying.

"We're not aiming to cause any damage to arms control, but wish to give an impulse to the restoration of CFE's viability," Kislyak said at the State Duma, lower house of the Russian parliament.

"It was a decision of necessity to impose a moratorium on operation of the treaty - a clear signal to the partners that all the parties - not only Russia - must meet their commitments," he said, adding that "western partners begin to take more seriously what Russia is telling them."

"However to secure a way out of the present situation (with the CFE), the signatories of the treaty, the NATO countries in the first place, must take a number of important steps, and, in effect, make a political decision which gives satisfactory answers to the questions raised by Russia," Kislyak said.

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