Russian Prez welcomes US decision to shelve missile plans

Russian President Dmitry MedvedevDmitry Medvedev has welcomed as "positive" the US decision to shelve controversial missile defence bases in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Mr Medvedev said there were now "good conditions" for US-Russia talks on tackling missile proliferation.

US President Barack ObamaBarack Obama had earlier announced there would be a shift in US missile defence strategy, following a review of the threat posed by Iran.

However, US Republicans have called the move "short-sighted" and "harmful". Some said it was a concession to Moscow with nothing in return.

Russia had long objected to plans pursued by the administration of former-President George W BushPresident George W Bush to base a missile interceptor system close to its borders, calling it a threat to its security.

In an address on Russian television, Mr Medvedev said Mr Obama was "correcting" the US approach to missile defence.

Mr Medvedev said that he and Mr Obama had in earlier meetings expressed the need to work together to assess the risks of missile proliferation.

Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert GatesDefense Secretary Robert Gates has said that the decision to overhaul plans for a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic is based on new intelligence and will result in better protection for American armed forces and allies in Europe.

Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Secretary Gates said the U.S. intelligence community believes that Iran has been slower to develop its intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities than previously thought.

He says this is one reason he recommended scrapping plans to build a sophisticated radar system in the Czech Republic and installing ground-based interceptors in Poland. Gates said shorter range Iranian missiles are a more urgent concern.

Secretary Gates said the new plan will allow flexibility and put in place a defense system more quickly than the previous proposal. Russia strongly objected to the original plan, calling it a threat to its security.

Secretary Gates said that while the missile shield was never a threat to Russia, the new configuration will likely allay some of Moscow's concerns.