European Commission President disappointed at Russia's announcement to suspend CFE participation

PanARMENIAN.Net - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso expressed disappointment Friday at Russia's announcement that it was suspending its participation in an arms treaty limiting the number of military forces in Europe.



Russian President Vladimir Putin Putin stunned Western capitals Thursday when he announced the suspension of Moscow's participation in the Soviet-era Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty.



"The announcement regarding CFE was, as others have said, disappointing," Barroso said at the United Nations after meeting with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.



"It is sending a signal that is not the best signal, not the most helpful for the kind of relations that we in Europe want to have with Russia," he said.



"We in the European Commission will stay interested in developing constructive, positive, strategic relations with Russia. Of course, there are sometimes some difficulties, but I believe that we can deal with those difficulties in a global, positive and constructive framework," Barroso added.



He indicated he would address the issue during a regular EU-Russia summit in Samara, Russia next month.



The accord was signed on November 19, 1990 in Paris by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Warsaw Pact and modified in 1999 after the fall of the Soviet Union and the East bloc.



NATO called for clarification on Friday.



Putin said the suspension was in response to U.S. plans to deploy an anti-missile system in Eastern Europe.



Barroso said that "regarding specific issues now about missiles, those should have been dealt with in other fora, and we support all efforts to create the best possible atmosphere between the European Union and Russia," www.eubusiness.com reports