Powell: US not about to ditch treaty on defences

Internal links

Nato policy in Kosovo attacked by Putin after summit

The American Secretary of State, Colin Powell, tried yesterday to dispel fears that President Bush was on the point of abandoning the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty with Russia, saying America was still able to do research on a missile defence system without breaching the treaty. He also indicated Russia had not ruled out talks on amending the 39-year-old treaty to permit tests.

But Mr Powell also left little doubt Mr Bush would be ready to proceed unilaterally if US researchers found that the treaty was inhibiting progress on missile defence. Interviewed on Fox News Sunday, Mr Powell said of the treaty: "We cannot allow its constraints to bind American technology."

And he denied abrogating the treaty would lead to a new arms race. "If there is no ABM treaty tomorrow, there is no nation that's going to run out and start making nuclear weapons," he said.

Mr Powell was speaking the day after the American and Russian presidents had their first meeting in Slovenia. Mr Bush's relationship with Russia had got off to a rocky start, with some tough talking from Mr Bush and reciprocal expulsions of alleged spies. After their joint press conference, Mr Bush reportedly slumped into an armchair and declared "mission accomplished".

In American media assessments of Mr Bush's first excursion to Europe, the disagreement over missile defence vied for the headlines with the successful get-acquainted session. The whole six-day European tour, however, seemed to make little impression on the American public.

On radio phone-ins and the internet, there was as much condemnation as praise for Mr Bush's efforts. While those on the right generally supported his tough approach, there were as many who saw him as "an embarrassment".