CHICAGO — President-elect Obama spoke to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday as the future American leader had another round of phone calls with counterparts in other nations.
A Kremlin statement said Obama and Medvedev “expressed the determination to create constructive and positive interaction for the good of global stability and development” and agreed that their countries had a common responsibility to address “serious problems of a global nature.” To that end, according to the Kremlin statement, Medvedev and Obama believe an “early bilateral meeting” should be arranged.
Obama’s office did not issue a statement describing the call.
A Bush administration plan for setting up a missile shield close to Russia’s borders has been a sore point with the Kremlin and has served as another dent in its battered relationship with the U.S.
On Wednesday, the day after Obama’s election, Medvedev threatened to move short-range missiles to Russia’s borders with NATO allies even as the U.S. offered new proposals on nuclear arms reductions as well as missile defense. Allowing Russian observers at planned missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic were among them, U.S. officials said.
During the presidential campaign, Obama expressed skepticism about the system, saying that it would require much more vigorous testing to ensure it would work and justify the billions of dollars it would cost.
Obama foreign policy adviser Denis McDonough said Saturday that Obama had “a good conversation” with Polish President Lech Kaczynski about the American-Polish alliance but that Obama had made no commitment on the missile shield plan.
“His position is as it was throughout the campaign, that he supports deploying a missile defense system when the technology is proved to be workable,” McDonough said.
That was in contrast to a statement issued by the Polish president. Kaczynski said Obama “emphasized the importance of the strategic partnership of Poland and the United States and expressed hope in the continuation of political and military cooperation between our countries. He also said that the missile defense project would continue.” President Bush wanted construction of a European missile shield — installations would be in Poland and the Czech Republic — to begin before he left office in January with a completion date of 2012. Experts in the Defense Department believe more interceptor testing is required, according to reports over the summer.
Additional tests could delay the program for years.
In Madrid, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told reporters Saturday that he had spoken by telephone with Obama and that they discussed their desire to meet each other and work together, though no concrete plans were made.
“We had a very, very cordial conversation,” Zapatero said.
On another international matter, Obama’s office had little to say in response to a statement by Khaled Mashaal, leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, that he is ready to talk to Obama “with an open mind.” The exiled militant leader told Sky News from Damascus, Syria, that the election of an American president with African roots is “a big change.” McDonough said, “President-elect Obama said throughout the campaign that he will only talk with Hamas if it renounces terrorism, recognizes Israel’s right to exist, and agrees to abide by past agreements.” The Bush administration has boycotted Hamas, as has most of the international community, because Hamas refuses to renounce violence or recognize Israel.
Iran criticized Obama for the first time earlier Saturday, saying the world needs more than cosmetic changes in American foreign policy.
The criticism from Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani followed Obama’s comment Friday that it is “unacceptable” for Iran to develop nuclear weapons and there should be a concerted international effort to prevent it.
“Obama can understand that strategic changes in (American) policy are required, not just cosmetic changes,” Larijani told state television.
“This is a step in the wrong direction,” he added. “If Americans want to change their situation in the region, they need to send good signals.” Iran has denied allegations that its nuclear program is aimed at producing weapons.
Iranians initially welcomed Obama’s victory as a triumph over the unpopular policies of President Bush.
Hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated Obama on his win — the first time an Iranian leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Ahmadinejad’s message said “nations of the world” expect changes from Obama — mostly that he will change U.S. foreign policy. He claimed U.S. policy was “based on warmongering, occupation, bullying, deception and humiliation, as well as discrimination and unfair relations” and has led to “hatred of all nations and majority of governments toward the U.S. leaders.” During the campaign, Obama said he was willing to talk directly to Iran about its nuclear program, something the Bush administration has refused to do. He was harshly criticized for that by his presidential rival, U.S. Sen. John McCain, and others.
Asked about Iran at his first news conference since his election on Tuesday, Obama reiterated earlier statements saying he will move deliberately on how to respond to Iran and would not do it in a knee-jerk fashion.
“Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon, I believe, is unacceptable. And we have to mount an international effort to prevent that from happening,” Obama told reporters.
Iranian state radio said Obama’s position was a replay of Bush’s hard-line stance toward Tehran. It said this will dampen Iranian expectations for changes in U.S. foreign policy with the new administration.
The radio warned Obama “will betray the vote of the American people if he fails to bring back rationalism to the White House.”
