Russia fails in arms treaty overhaul

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VIENNA, Austria, June 16 (AP): Russia said Friday it could not rule out freezing its participation in a treaty limiting non-nuclear heavy weaponry around Europe after its attempt to overhaul the accord was rebuffed in what a diplomat called "fine, polite, elegant lip service."
Organisers of an extraordinary meeting on the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty said participants failed to find common ground for a joint statement after talks that began Tuesday in Vienna.
Signatories to the accord had gathered in the Austrian capital after Moscow branded the treaty "hopelessly outmoded" and called for the special session.
"But no one listened to us. They continued to admonish us," Anatoly Antonov, chief of security and disarmament issues at the Russian Foreign Ministry, told reporters Friday. He complained that Russia's concerns were met with "fine, polite, elegant lip service."
Karin Look, deputy assistant U.S. secretary of state for verification and arms control issues, said Washington considers the treaty "the cornerstone of security and stability in Europe," and she said Russia's complaints were addressed "seriously and cooperatively."