Azerbaijan ready to discuss U.S.-Russian anti-missile radar

Azerbaijan is ready to consider proposed joint U.S.-Russian use of a radar facility in the country as part of a missile defence system, the republic's foreign ministersaid Friday.

"At this time, Azerbaijan's position, which is supported by the United States and Russia, is that it's necessary to start consultations in a two- or three-sided format. I can say that Azerbaijan is ready for such consultations," Elmar Mammadyarov said at a briefing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin made the proposal Thursday to U.S. President George W. Bush as an alternative to U.S. plans to deploy missile-defence elements in Eastern European countries, a plan to which Russia bitterly objects.

Azerbaijan is a former Soviet republic along the Caspian Sea that borders Russia and Iran.

TheU.S. says the missile defence elements that it wants to place in Poland and the Czech Republic are aimed at intercepting possible missile attacks from Iran and North Korea.

Putin contends that putting the system in Eastern Europe would mean it could be used against Russia's missiles, thereby undermining the balance of power in Europe.

Putin said last week that Russia would aim its missiles at Europe for the first time since the end of the Cold War if the U.S. plan goes ahead.

Russia already uses the radar station in Azerbaijan.

With the world's second-largest Shia Muslim population, secular Azerbaijan has concerns that Iran's Shia theocracy could spread and some analysts suggested that Iran would be angered by U.S. use of the radar facility.

But Mammadyarov said the proposal "can only bring more stability into the region because it can lead to more predictable actions in the region."