US threatens to withdraw from anti-missile treaty

The US has warned it will withdraw from a ballistic missile treaty if Russia fails to agree to a deal over its planned missile defence system.

Russia is opposed to dismantling the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which prohibits national missile defence systems.

But Washington says it will go ahead with building its system because of potential nuclear threats from 'rogue' countries.

The US has not set a deadline but US Under Secretary of State John Bolton has told Russian radio that progress is essential by the time President Bush and Russian leader Vladimir Putin meet in November.

Mr Bolton says the US would prefer to come to a joint decision with Russia.

But he says if that is impossible then "at some point in the not too distant future we would exercise our express right under the treaty to give notice of withdrawal.

"Withdrawal, of course, is not violating the treaty," Bolton said.

The treaty allows each side to withdraw from it six months after notifying the other side of its intentions.

Bolton is in Moscow as part of a series of consultations that began after Bush and Putin announced in July that missile defence would be linked to talks on cutting the nuclear arsenals of both countries.

The Russian delegation emphasised the need to make cuts in strategic weapons "on the condition that the ABM treaty is preserved in its current form," said the Russian Foreign Ministry.