Russia wants dialogue on arms treaty: Gorbachev

MOSCOW (AFP) - Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said yesterday that Russia's decision to freeze a key European arms control treaty was taken to provoke "constructive dialogue".

The Kremlin announced Saturday that President Vladimir Putin had signed a decree to freeze the country's fulfilment of the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty, which limits the deployment of military forces in Europe.

"The decision of the head of state was an urgent call... to constructive dialogue and the implementation of the treaty," Interfax news agency quoted Gorbachev as saying.

The decision was an "entirely justified response to the question and not an emotional outburst," said Gorbachev, who signed the original treaty in 1990.

He cited American plans to install elements of an anti-missile shield in central Europe and NATO members' failure to ratify an updated version of the treaty as justifications for the suspension.

"It would have been completely incomprehensible if Russia was to continue fulfilling the treaty when the other sides had not even ratified it," said Gorbachev.

The CFE treaty, which came into force in 1992, is one of the key post-Cold War security accords in Europe.

It limits deployments of tanks and troops in countries belonging to NATO and the former Warsaw Pact in eastern Europe and lays down measures aimed at confidence-building, transparency and cooperation between member states.

Georgia's deputy minister of foreign affairs on Sunday decried Russia's decision to pull out of the treaty.

"We regret that Moscow took this decision since we believe the CFE treaty was a fundamental aspect of arms control and of maintaining stability in that area," Georgy Manjgaladze told Itar-Tass news agency.

Georgia has moved steadily closer to NATO since Western-leaning President Mikheil Saakashvili came to power in 2004 and hopes to join the organisation.

But neighbouring Russia has warned that Georgian membership would destabilise the region.