The United States, Washington, Sept. 18 /Trend News, N.Bogdanova/
After the U.S. administration's decision to deploy the missile defense system (MDS) in Czech Republic and Poland, the priority of deploying the MDS is the Balkans, Turkey and Israel, believes Wess Mitchell, American Expert.
"At present, the emphasis appears to be on the Balkans, Turkey and Israel," President of Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington, Wess Mitchell, told Trend News.
President Barack Obama has announced a radical revision of the missile defense plans and the cancellation of deploying missile defenses in Eastern Europe, which irritated Russia.
Washington claimed that the deployment of a radar station in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland is necessary to protect against unpredictable countries, primarily Iran. But on Sept. 17, Obama said that the U.S. intelligence had changed its assessment of the capabilities of the Iranian nuclear program.
The Administration consented to do this in hopes of achieving an implicit quid pro quo with Moscow: "an upfront U.S. concession on missile defense today in exchange for hypothetical Russian assistance on Iran tomorrow", the expert said.
"Unfortunately, it is rarely wise in diplomacy to give some tangible today in exchange for something intangible tomorrow," the expert said.
There are no concrete indications concerning the possible use of the Azerbaijani Gabala Radio Location System, the expert said.
"An Azerbaijani component would likely entail greater controversy and potential entanglement with Russia," said Mitchell.
At the G8 summit in 2007, Moscow offered the U.S. joint use of the Gabala RLS in Azerbaijan, as well as the Armavir station, being constructed in southern Russia to prevent rocket launches.
The Gabala RLS, which is located in north-western Azerbaijan, was built during the Soviet times as one of the most important elements of a missile defense system of the USSR. After Azerbaijan gained independence and owned the RLS, Russia continued to use the station, despite all the upheavals of political life in Azerbaijan.
A ten-year agreement to lease the station was signed in 2002. The issue of the Gabala radar station has frequently been the subject of internal debate, including in the Azerbaijani Parliament. In early 2006, Azerbaijan raised the issue of doubling the rent for the use of radar - from $7 million to $14.4 million dollars per year.
