Romania starts new round of negotiations on antimissile shield project with the US

The fifth round of negotiations between Romania and the United States on the anti-missile defense shield will take place in Bucharest on Tuesday,March 8, according to the Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry. Discussions will focus of the project's legal framework. The Romanian delegation will be headed by state secretary Bogdan Aurescu and the U.S. delegation by Frank Rose, deputy assistant state secretary for arms control. Aurescu and Frank Rose will also hold separate talks on common security-related issues. On February 4, 2010, the Romanian Supreme Council of National Defense accepted U.S. president Barack Obama's invitation to take part in the adaptive development of the European anti-missile defense system. According to the new approach, Romania's entire territory will be protected against short- and average-range missile threats. Mediafax