Putin Warns Ballistic Missile Deployment Turning Europe Into a "Tinderbox"

May 29, 2007 (LPAC)--"The deployment of U.S. missile defense elements in Europe "is turning the continent into a tinderbox," President Vladimir Putin said during talks with Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates, reported Itar-Tass. "I drew attention of Mr. Prime Minister to certain concerns about actions and plans of our Western colleagues," Putin said. "It is a question of their unwillingness to ratify the adapted Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) and U.S. plans to deploy missile defense elements in Eastern Europe." Putin continued, "We think it would be harmful and dangerous to turn Europe into a tinderbox and fill it with new types of armaments. That would create new unnecessary risks for the entire system of international and European relations."

The Russian Foreign Ministry has proposed that an already-scheduled meeting of the CFE signers in Vienna, June 12-15, be transformed into an extraordinary meeting to salvage the CFE Treaty, if that is possible.