Lavrov, Clinton to discuss arms control, missile defense

?It will be a meeting that will allow us to look at the whole agenda in the international sphere of cooperation,? Lavrov said, adding he and Clinton will prepare the first meeting of the presidents of both countries to take place on the sidelines of the G20 summit in London in April. As for the new strategic arms reduction treaty, Lavrov said it is ?an urgent issue? as the acting treaty is shortly expiring. ?Although it has practically exhausted itself, it contained good mechanisms which we would like to preserve. They concern not only warheads, but also all types of carriers,? Lavrov said. US plans of deploying a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic will be another major issue. Russia radically opposes the plan saying it is detrimental to its own security, but Clinton insisted the US shield aims to protect Europe against potential Iranian strikes and is not aimed against Russia. ?We happen to believe in the United States that those threats in the future are more likely to come from regimes and terrorist networks than from nation-states in the immediate vicinity,? she said in Brussels on Thursday. Clinton said she would tell Lavrov ?Europe has a right to defend itself from the new threats of the 21st century.? ?Our task is to dissuade them (Iran), deter them, prevent them from acquiring a nuclear weapon, which given the range of the missiles they currently have access to threatens Europe and Arab neighbors in the Gulf, not the United States. Therefore, we want to help Europe be prepared,? she said, adding ?We have areas where we believe we not only can, but must cooperate with Russia ? nonproliferation, arms control, antiterrorism, anti-piracy efforts.? According to Lavrov, other topics at the talks include non-proliferation of strategic armaments, Euro-Atlantic security, Middle East settlement, the Iranian nuclear program, and the nuclear problem of the Korean Peninsula. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russian and US interests coincide on a number of issues, Kazinform cites ITAR-TASS. ?There is a real possibility to bring our approaches to a common denominator in the solution of several regional problems and achieve progress in the sphere of strategic stability, as well as to raise the whole bloc of economic issues,? he said.