(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-11-22 14:58

WASHINGTON - The United States on Wednesday submitted a formal proposal to Russia for cooperation on missile defense in eastern Europe, seeking to defuse an issue that has increased tensions between the two countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the crowd during a parliamentary campaign rally, at a stadium in Moscow, Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2007. [Agencies]

Addressing another contentious issue, the US also submitted a proposal that it hoped would discourage Moscow from withdrawing from a key European arms control treaty.

Both issues have contributed to US-Russian relations worsening to the lowest point since the Cold War. The proposals had been discussed in negotiations between the two nations, but Russia insisted on having them in writing before continuing talks.

US and Russian officials declined to release the documents. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov are expected to discuss them Monday ahead of Middle East peace talks in Annapolis, Md.

The documents deal with US plans to install a radar in the Czech Republic and missile interceptors in Poland and Russian plans to suspend participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, known as CFE.

The United States says the missile defense system is intended to counter Iranian missiles that could be aimed at Europe or US territory. Russia contends the system also could be used against Russian missiles, which would make it a threat to its nuclear deterrence.

A senior US official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for attribution, said the missile defense document included proposals that Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates made in talks in Moscow last month.

The offers include:

-Integrating US, Russian and NATO missile defense systems to expand protection of both Russia and the West.

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