By Jaime Ortega.
Foreign ministers and the U.S. Defense will meet in Washington on Friday with their Russian counterparts in a climate of growing tension over the Snowden case, whom Russia has granted asylum.
The meeting, which at first was set in doubt, between John Kerry and Chuck Hagel representing the U.S., and Sergei Shoigu and Sergei Lavrov from the Russian side will take place at the State Department.
The appointment comes at a time when the relations are very delicate between the two countries as the U.S. president Barack Obama, held in the air a public participation in a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier in September.
All for Moscow’s decision to grant asylum to the former consultant Edward Snowden, who leaked surveillance program of the U.S. government.
A U.S. defense official, who wished to remain anonymous, spoke to AFP but did not specify the issues on the agenda of this meeting. However, Russian diplomats now expect “a very intense debate, especially since there are a number of controversial and difficult issues to discuss.”
The reunion of the Obama-Putin summit before the G20 summit in St. Petersburg in June was canceled, although Washington has not yet given a definite no, pending any developments in the Snowden case.
The White House spokesman, Jay Carney, said he is still “studying the usefulness of a summit” and promised to communicate the decision “in the coming days.”
For the Russian Deputy of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Ryabkov has raised doubts about the usefulness of Washington on this “supposed important summit” as is an “absolute distortion of reality.”
“The U.S. government questioned a bilateral meeting at the highest level. I found it to look like the world of a distorted mirror,” he said.
Russia has insisted that it had nothing to do with Snowden until arrival at Moscow’Sheremetyevo airport, on June 23. “And even after that try to avoid any rotation which added to the situation something that exceeds the humanitarian aspect,” Ryabkov said.
Postures found
“We obviously and strongly disagree with the Russians in their decision about Mr. Snowden. And we disagree with them on many issues, including Syria,” Carney added. Another contentious issue is Iran and its nuclear program. Russia has recently denounced the U.S. decision to impose further sanctions on Tehran.
On the military side, the issues in dispute are numerous, especially on the issue of nuclear arms a reduction desired by President Obama and Russian opposition directed to the missile defense programs of the United States.
