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US Senate Switch Could Send Missile Defense To Back Burner
Washington (AFP) May 27, 2001 President George W. Bush's unilateral plan for a national missile defense system could be compromised now that the US Senate has passed into the hands of the Democrats, top Democrats said Sunday. Michigan Senator Carl Levin -- the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, who is set to become chair following Senator Jim Jeffords' defection from the Republican Party last Thursday -- said on CNN that while Bush's proposed system is not dead, now is an opportunity for a new look at its viability. "The issue with missile defense is whether or not we are more or less secure with the unilateral deployment, if that is what it comes to, in violation of a treaty which could lead to a very negative and dangerous response on the part of Russia, for instance, or China, and against the advice of some of our closest allies," Levin said. "This administration has simply not looked at problems which it creates; they've only looked at the fact that there is a threat. There are much greater threats to which we are not addressing resources," he added. Arguing the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty signed with the former Soviet Union is out of date, the Bush administration has floated a controversial plan to develop a sophisticated and costly system to knock out ballistic missiles liable to be fired by so-called "rogue states" such as North Korea and Iraq. Deployment of the largely unproven 60 billion-dollar national missile shield was a decision former president Bill Clinton opted to pass on to his successor, and the new president has sent a team of top-level officials to canvass the globe to drum up support. South Dakota's Tom Daschle, who is likely to become the US Senate majority leader when control of the chamber passes to the Democrats sometime around June 5, said Bush's desire to deploy the system was premature as far as his party was concerned. "If you're asking should we violate the ABM Treaty; if you're asking should we alienate every ally in Russia and China besides; if you're asking should we commit to something, deploy something that still hasn't been shown to work, I'd say no," Daschle said. "The president has said he wants to deploy, and I think that is a premature decision and we certainly wouldn't be prepared to do that." The US missile defense system, which has elicited concern from even the closest of US allies, figures prominently on the agenda at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers this week in Budapest. NATO allies, who believe the ABM treaty is a Cold War legacy that remains a linchpin of global security, also doubt whether the rogue-state threat is all that Washington makes it out to be. Their reaction of late has been muted, however, not least out of appreciation for Bush's pledge to consult all of the United States' allies on what is still a vague plan. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Military Space News at SpaceWar.com
Canada To Seek International Pact Banning Weapons In Space
Ottawa (AFP) Jan 11, 2006Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin will seek an international pact to ban weapons in space if his Liberals are returned to power in a January 23 election, according to the party platform. |
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