Russia's Putin, India Call For 'Weapons Free' Space

EARTH OBSERVATION

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (R) addresses the media as Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) looks on during their press conference in New Delhi, 25 January 2007. Putin arrived in India for a two-day visit to rejuvenate ties with Moscow's former Cold War ally and push for major energy and weapons deals. Photo courtesy AFP.

by Staff Writers
New Delhi (AFP) Jan 25, 2007
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called Thursday for a "weapons free outer space", after China staged a satellite-destroying weapons test. "The fundamental position of the Russian Federation is that outer space should be absolutely weapons free," Putin told a joint news conference in New Delhi.

India's prime minister said he shared that position.

"Our position is similar in that we are not in favor of the weaponisation of outer space," Singh said.

China confirmed for the first time on Tuesday that it had tested a satellite-destroying weapon but insisted its space programme posed no threat to the rest of the world.

"What's more, in military circles in the US, we hear plans about attempting to militarise outer space. We should not let the genie out of the bottle. This is our position," Putin added.

Putin noted that China was "not the first country to hold such tests."

After destroying satellites in space in the 1980s, the United States and the Soviet Union ended their space weapons programmes, largely because of the problem of debris.

Until Tuesday, China had refused to publicly confirm the test, which drew condemnation from the United States, Japan and many other countries amid concerns that it could spark an international arms race in space.

Source: Agence France-Presse

EARTH OBSERVATION

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