Overshadowing Monday's agreement was the second bombing of an apartment block in Moscow in five days, which prompted US Defense Secretary William Cohen to offer US help in the form of intelligence sharing and technology to fight terrorism.

"We are prepared to work with you and to share whatever information we can, to share whatever abilities we have, in this effort to wage an effective fight against terrorism," Cohen told Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev.

Cohen's meeting here with Sergeyev was aimed at easing strains with the Russian military over Kosovo in order to revive movement on arms control issues and US-proposed changes in the 1972 ABM (anti-ballistic missile) treaty.

Moscow's vehement opposition to the NATO air war against Yugoslavia has not changed, Sergeyev told Cohen, but "both sides understand a need for a dialogue."

On Kosovo, the Russian military leader raised concerns about the disarmament of the Kosovo Liberation Army and the need to protect Yugoslavia's border against penetration by "alien elements."

"Of course, its very difficult to find a complete coincidence of ideas in this respect," he said. "But we must look for a point of contact and look for common approaches."

Both in a lengthy private session with Sergeyev and a meeting of the full US and Russian delegations, Cohen laid out in detail a US proposal to change the ABM treaty to allow deployment of a missile defense system to protect the United States against a limited nuclear attack.

"It's a subject matter which needs more discussion but we at least laid out a framework which we would contemplate should the president decide to go forward with a system," Cohen said later.

In an interview with a Moscow radio station, Cohen likened the missile threat the United States believes it faces from so-called "rogue" states to the terrorist bombs that have rocked the Russian capital in recent days.

"Just as we are witnessing acts of terrorism against Russia, we are concerned about acts of terrorism in the form of missiles being fired at the United states from rogue nations," he said.

Washington wants the treaty to be changed initially to allow deployment of about 100 missile interceptors in Alaska.

Further changes might be negotiated later if the system is expanded to more sites in response to a growing threat, according to US defense officials.

It was unclear whether Cohen discussed sharing US missile defense technology with the Russians, an offer made Sunday by US President Bill Clinton to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Cohen and Sergeyev also discussed the prospects of negotiating deeper cuts in the US and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals under a START III -- a third round agreement of a strategic arms reduction treaty.

But in the meeting with Sergeyev and earlier with members of parliament, Cohen stressed that the START II treaty must be ratified first by the Russian Duma, the lower house of parliament.

The Duma's vote on the treaty was derailed by Russian outrage over the US-led air campaigns against Iraq in December and the 11-week NATO air campaign against Yugoslavia in the spring.

"Russian-American relations, including in the miliatry domain, over the last six months have gone through serious trials," Sergeyev told Cohen.

"I will put it straight: the difference of principles over the Kosovo crisis has thrown them way back," he said.

Nevertheless, Sergeyev and Cohen signed a joint statement establishing a center in Colorado Springs, Colorado where US and Russian officers will monitor missile launch data from late December to early January as a safeguard against Y2K-related computer failures.

The Pentagon proposed the center to prevent missteps or misunderstandings if Russia's early warning satellites are blinded by computer outtages with the advent of the year 2000, a date which some computer systems could misread.

Cohen said the head of the Russian strategic forces has accepted a US invitation to visit the US Strategic Command, which is responsible for the US nuclear missile force, in the fall. "That's another good step forward," he said.

Copyright 1999 AFP. All rights reserved. The material on this page is provided by AFP and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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SPACEDAILY

US, Russia Agree To Y2K Missile Monitoring Center
by Jim Mannion
Moscow (AFP) September 13 - US and Russian defence ministers agreed Monday to jointly monitor missile launch data as a safeguard against Y2K-related mishaps in a modest step toward improving strained relations between the world's two nuclear heavyweights.