Makarov’s statement "beyond the political framework"

Corneliu Dobriţoiu, nominated to occupy the defense portfolio in the Ponta’s cabinet , said at Radio Romania Actualităţi that he hopes it will be found a political compromise on missile defense.

The Minister nominated for defense portfolio in the cabinet Ponta, Corneliu Dobriţoiu, general reserve, said on Radio Romania Actualităţi that the Russian General Staff Chief’s statement, General Nikolai Makarov, according to which Russia does not exclude a preventive use of weapons against NATO missile defense system in Europe, it is beyond the political framework.

"It is beyond the political framework, undoubtedly, and it also induces some unnatural aggression signs towards the state of negotiations between NATO and the U.S., on the one hand, and the Russian Federation," said Cornelius Dobriţoiu during the Euroatlantica show made ​​by Radu Dobriţoiu.

The nominated Minister added that he appreciates that it will be found a compromise on the political level.

"It is unfortunate that the political dialogue, remember, it is stiff with unladylike and even unfriendly appreciation from people in uniform in Moscow," said Cornelius Dobriţoiu.

President Traian Băsescu has qualified on Thursday the warning to Moscow in an interview to Radio Romania Actualităţi, as "a propaganda game, of justification of some military investment" while the United States reiterated that the shield is no a threat to Russia.

Băsescu reiterated that based on Romania's negotiations with the U.S., the missile shield capabilities are not directed against Russia.

Traian Băsescu classified as "fantasy" a scenario of a conflict between the EU and NATO members in Europe and the Russian Federation.

In front of representatives of about 50 states, including the 28 member states of NATO, General Makarov spoke of a possible way of crippling the European missile defense infrastructure, namely the location of new systems of attack in southern and north-western Russia.

"Russia does not rule out the use of preventive strikes against the missile shield that is to be placed by NATO in the South East Europe considering the international situation will ever get to make this necessary ," warned the Chief of General Staff of Russian Armed Forces, General Nikolai Makarov in an international conference in Moscow.

Russia wants legal guarantees set out in a document with binding value, which not only to declare that the shield is not directed against it, but also to provide specific restrictions on technical parameters and its location.

NATO Deputy Secretary said in Moscow that the Alliance was not impressed by the arguments of Russian experts and considers that the missile system poses no threat to Russian strategic forces and will not pose any danger ten years from now.

The U.S. special envoy, Ellen Tauscher, has reaffirmed before the conference that the shield is not a threat to Russia.

According to Radio Romania Actualități correspondent in Washington Ani Sandu, Ellen Tauscher said that "U.S. missile defense does not undermine Russia's strategic nuclear capabilities."

Translated by Alexandra-Diana Mircea
MTTLC, Bucharest University