U.S. Denies Missile Issue Blocking New START Treaty

WASHINGTON -- The White House today denied that differences with Moscow on the U.S. antimissile shield in Europe were blocking an agreement on a new strategic nuclear weapons reduction treaty with Russia.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said such reports were "not true."

Earlier, General Nikolai Makarov, chief of staff of the Russian armed forces, said that Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) talks, which have dragged long past several deadlines, are stuck on the issue.

He also said the plans for the shield were directed against his country.

"The development and establishment of the [U.S.] missile shield is directed against the Russian Federation," Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.

The United States says the shield is meant to counter a potential missile threat from Iran.

Romanian President Traian Basescu last week said his country -- a former East bloc satellite of Moscow -- had agreed to host ballistic missile interceptors as part of the new U.S. shield.

compiled from agency reports