Madrid/Washington - Russian President Dmitri Medvedev on Tuesday showed willingness to discuss the US-planned missile defence system opposed by Moscow, but without "haggling" linking it to Iran. Medvedev was commenting during a visit to Spain on an alleged offer by US President Barack Obama to halt the defence system if Iran could be convinced to give up nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
The New York Times earlier reported that Obama had sent a secret letter to Medvedev.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in Madrid, Medvedev welcomed the "positive signals" coming from the Obama administration with which he hoped to reach "agreements."
"Haggling," however, was not "productive," Medvedev said.
If the Obama administration showed "common sense" in proposing a "common shield against all types of threats" and reconsidered its plans of a missile defence system which could target Russia, Moscow would be prepared to negotiate, Medvedev said.
The New York Times reported earlier on its website that Obama last month offered a halt to the US-planned missile defence system opposed by Moscow if Iran could be convinced to relinquish nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
Citing US officials speaking on condition of anonymity, the Times reported that Obama sent a secret letter three weeks ago to Medvedev.
The offer was described as offering Russia an incentive to help the US and other Western powers achieve a halt to any Iranian programmes that could lead to military nuclear capabilities and long- range delivery systems for warheads.
If the Iranian threat were removed, the US could forego the missile defence system, the letter was described as saying.
The Times quoted a senior administration official as saying: "It's almost saying to them, put up or shut up. It's not that the Russians get to say, 'We'll try and therefore you have to suspend.' It says the threat has to go away."
Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is to meet Friday in Geneva with US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, ahead of an Obama- Medvedev meeting on on April 2 in London.
