The State Department’s senior negotiator with Moscow on a missile
defense agreement declined on Wednesday to say what President Obama
recently meant when he promised Russia’s leader “more flexibility” after
his reelection.
Ellen Tauscher, special State Department envoy for missile defense, also refused to explain why the U.S. government aborted the signing of an agreement on missile defenses at the 2011 summit meeting in Deauville, France, between the president and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.
U.S. officials said the draft agreement developed by Ms. Tauscher’s office was rejected after White House lawyers determined that some of its provisions would have had legally binding restrictions on the development of U.S. missile defenses.
On the president’s comments, Tauscher was asked about the March 26 meeting in Seoul during a nuclear summit when Obama was overheard having a private conversation with Medvedev in which he promised the Russian leader he would have “more flexibility” to make a missile defense deal after his presumed reelection.
The president also was heard asking Medvedev for “space” from Russian pressure on missile defense until after November. Medvedev replied that he would relay the offer of concessions to incoming Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The comments drew widespread criticism from national security advocates, including Republicans in Congress, who viewed it as a sign the administration is set to offer further concessions on limiting U.S. missile defenses in Europe, which Moscow opposes.
Tauscher, during comments yesterday, repeated that the current U.S. position in the missile defense talks is that the administration would not accept “preconditions” for an agreement.
Read more: http://freebeacon.com/missile-mania/
Ellen Tauscher, special State Department envoy for missile defense, also refused to explain why the U.S. government aborted the signing of an agreement on missile defenses at the 2011 summit meeting in Deauville, France, between the president and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.
U.S. officials said the draft agreement developed by Ms. Tauscher’s office was rejected after White House lawyers determined that some of its provisions would have had legally binding restrictions on the development of U.S. missile defenses.
On the president’s comments, Tauscher was asked about the March 26 meeting in Seoul during a nuclear summit when Obama was overheard having a private conversation with Medvedev in which he promised the Russian leader he would have “more flexibility” to make a missile defense deal after his presumed reelection.
The president also was heard asking Medvedev for “space” from Russian pressure on missile defense until after November. Medvedev replied that he would relay the offer of concessions to incoming Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The comments drew widespread criticism from national security advocates, including Republicans in Congress, who viewed it as a sign the administration is set to offer further concessions on limiting U.S. missile defenses in Europe, which Moscow opposes.
Tauscher, during comments yesterday, repeated that the current U.S. position in the missile defense talks is that the administration would not accept “preconditions” for an agreement.
Read more: http://freebeacon.com/missile-mania/
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