Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend A Ismayilova, A.Gasimova, D.Khatunohlu / Two rounds of talks on joint use the Gabala Radar Station (RS), as an element of the anti-missile defense, established by the United States, will be held in September. Following the US intention of establishing an anti-missile defense system in Europe, Russia voiced his threats that the anti-missile system can be used against it.
On 7 June, as a result of the meeting with US President George Bush, within the G-8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, Putin highlighted his proposal to jointly use the Russian-leased Azerbaijan Gabala Radar Station with the US.
In response, the US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice said in her interview with CNBC that the USA is not interested in jointly using this station and will continue to establish missile-defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic.
However, the representative of the US Embassy in Azerbaijan, Jonathan Henick said that the talks on joint use of the Russian-leased Azerbaijan Gabala Radar Station with the US have not been ceased yet.
"The first round of talks will take place at the beginning of September in Baku," said the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov, on 22 August in Baku.
According to Henick, a delegation from Pentagon is expected to arrive in Baku.
Other round of talks will take place in Moscow between Russia and the USA by the mid of September.
The expediency to establish an alliance of the USA and Russia in Gabala makes the Russian expert, deputy editor-in-chief of Daily Magazine, Alexander Golts, doubtful. He said that the USA does not need anti-missile system in Gabala.
On 22 August Golts informed from Moscow by telephone that Gabala Station can not work to show the targets of missiles and the Americans know it. "As Russian military expert, General Vladimir Dvorkin said, the Americans intend to purchase double-barrel, but we do not suggest telescope," Golts said.
September talks on Gabala RS will be held in two weeks after the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejat's visit to Azerbaijan.
Meanwhile, Abbas Javadi, a publicist, an Iranian analyst of Radio Liberty in Germany, thinks that the use of Radar Station in Gabala is directed against Iran. Azerbaijan and Russia will never allow the use of Azerbaijani territory as a bridgehead for attacks on Iran.
The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, said during his last year visit to the USA that he excludes the possibility to use Azerbaijan's territory for anti-Iran goals. " Azerbaijan supports peaceful settlement of all issues in the region. According to the agreement signed between Iran and Azerbaijan, our territories can not be used for military goals against each other. Azerbaijan is in the way of economic development, mutual co-operation and will never be an arena of confrontation," Aliyev said.
According to the US specialists, Gabala is located near Iran and the station's radars would assist in following missiles which may start from Iran.
They consider that Gabala station can not be alternative, but additional for the American plans to establish missile-defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Russia leases the Gabala Radio Radar Station in Azerbaijan. The station is part of the Russian system tracking movement of the ballistic missiles. The station was constructed during the rule of the former Soviet Union as one of the significant elements of the anti-missile system of the USSR. After Azerbaijan regained its independence and owned the station, Russia offered to use it. A ten-year agreement to rent the station was signed in 2002.