Russia calls on UN to keep space weapon free

Russia is to put forward a draft resolution to the United Nations banning the deployment of weapons in outer space, a Russian UN mission official statement said Thursday.

The resolution entitled, Transparency and Confidence Building Measures in Outer Space Activities, was submitted to the UN five years ago and proposed a ban on the deployment of all types of weapons in space.

Russia said that the treaty should set forth the following obligations, a ban on all objects capable of carrying weapons from orbiting Earth, no deployment and installation of such weapons in space, including other planets, a ban on the threat or use of force against space objects, and providing assistance for any activity banned under the agreement.

The United States is insisting that the 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST), which currently forms the basis of international space law, ratified by Russia, the U.K., the U.S. and a further 27 countries, provides sufficient guarantees against placing weapons of mass destruction in space. But analysts say that the OST treaty does not ban the U.S or any other country from putting weapons into orbit, as long as the weapons are for peaceful purposes.

Recently the U.S. said it favored the idea of possessing an advanced space defense potential to counter threats, following an incident in January when China tested space weapons, destroying one of its old meteorological satellites with a medium-range ballistic missile.

China has also joined Russia in demanding that the United States observe the treaty and not place any weapons in space.

The 62nd session of the UN General Assembly will start on September 18. The leaders of 192 states will make speeches from September 25. Russia will be represented by the Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. - RIA Novosti