Putin's offer eases tension over arms race - for now

BERLIN - Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal to work with NATO and Europe on an anti-missile defense system released some of the tension building in Europe over fears that the U.S. plan to build its own system would spur a renewed arms race.

Critical to the shift in mood, albeit slight, was Putin's tacit acknowledgment in the proposal that a threat by rogue states does exist - in essence validating the United States' chief reason for pursuing its own national missile defense system.

A spokesman at the French Foreign Ministry acknowledged some common ground had been reached, while emphasizing France shares Russia's concerns that the U.S. plan is a threat to the goal of global disarmament. Germany also is among the chief critics of Washington's go-it-alone proposal, fearing a destabilizing shift in military balance.

Putin floated the idea of jointly developing a shield with the United States ahead of President Clinton's arrival in Moscow on Saturday. He appeared to reiterate the idea in Rome on Monday, proposing working ''with Europe and NATO to create an anti-rocket defense system for Europe.''

However, his meaning was vague enough to raise concerns about whether he was trying to drive a wedge between the United States and Europe by seeking an independent deal with Europe at a time of great sensitivity among the trans-Atlantic allies about the future of European defense.

While the United States has urged Europe to spend more on defense, it also is concerned by European plans to develop the capability to respond to crises without U.S. support.

''The biggest political threat to the United States is the European Union in terms of world power and domination,'' said Paul Beaver, an arms expert at Jane's Missiles and Rockets in London. ''If the EU and Russia were to get together, it would bring the world back into a bipolar situation again.

''I don't think Putin is going to get too chummy with America. His interest is to work together with the Europeans. He may well try to spice up life.''

Italian newspapers portrayed Putin's proposal as an attempt to enhance Russia's sagging prestige by enlisting Europeans in a counter-effort. Typical was La Repubblica, which said that by broaching the idea in Rome Putin ''was looking for a prestigious forum for his constructive antagonism toward the United States.''

Corriere della Sera compared Putin to a salesman trying to quash the competition by frantically peddling his own ''product.''

Lacking full details of Russia's proposal, however, officials and analysts declined to speculate on whether the proposal was technically feasible. NATO welcomed ''the cooperative spirit,'' but said it didn't have enough information to comment further.

Experts say the Russian plan would use upgraded anti-aircraft missiles to destroy enemy nuclear missiles just after launch. The American system, by contrast, would use more advanced rockets to destroy warheads in space or as they descend.

The United States says the Russian plan for a joint defense would not be adequate.

Russia says its plan would fit in the framework of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty because of its lesser capabilities. The United States wants to amend the treaty, a move Moscow staunchly opposes.

One key impediment to launching a joint project with the United States would be the issue of intelligence sharing. ''The levels of infrastructure that must be shared are very, very sensitive, and at the highest levels politically,'' Beaver said, adding that the United States is unlikely to agree to such an exchange.

''In terms of actual hardware, the Russians may have something to offer,'' Beaver said, referring to the V2500 antiballistic missile system that they announced two years ago.

He described it as ''a tactical, moveable system. ... It appears to be better than anything there is in the West.''

Still, editorial comment appeared to indicate that European resistance to Washington's plans has not been fully eased - and that sympathies lie more with Russia's concerns than with American fears.

''That Mr. Putin showed a degree of understanding for the concerns of the United States on this issue will not stop him from stirring up the opposition to American plans when he makes his first formal visit to European capitals, especially as he can expect his views to find resonance,'' the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote Tuesday.

That is likely to be the case when Putin meets next week in Berlin with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who already has warned Clinton of starting an arms race.