Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed at the G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, that Russia and the United States jointly operate a radar facility in Azerbaijan, offering it as an alternative to Washington's planned missile defense installations in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Putin said Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev had already agreed to open the Gabala base to joint use. He argued the site would cover a broader stretch of Europe and that any intercept debris would fall at sea rather than on populated land. The White House said President Bush found the idea "interesting" and would pass it to experts. The two presidents planned further talks in the United States in early July.
Russia had long opposed the Eastern European shield, and Putin had previously threatened to redirect Russian weapons at European targets if the system moved forward. He pressed Washington not to act unilaterally while consultations were under way.
At the same summit, G8 leaders agreed to pursue significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and to consider a target of halving global output by 2050. Host Chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledged the outcome fell short of a binding commitment. Environmental groups called it inadequate. Police arrested about 300 demonstrators near the venue, and Greenpeace vessels that entered a maritime exclusion zone were intercepted by patrol boats.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2007, in its own words.