Lavrov Urges Delay on U.S. Missile Defense
MOSCOW - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday urged the United States to delay deployment of elements of a planned missile-defense system in Europe and called on NATO to halt its eastward expansion.
Addressing a conference in Moscow, Lavrov said the United States and its allies risk further damaging their relations with Russia should they choose to ignore Moscow's objections on the contentious issues.
"We propose taking a break," Lavrov told the conference. "This means that all these projects must stay where they are. ... They must be frozen."
Russia has bristled over U.S. plans to deploy missile-defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic. Washington maintains that the missile shield is not targeted at Russia, but rather meant to head off a possible attack by Iran. Moscow says, however, that the shield would be a threat to the country's security.
Moscow has also strongly opposed the NATO plans to bring former Soviet neighbors Ukraine and Georgia into the alliance. A NATO spokesman said by telephone from Brussels on Friday that he could not comment on Lavrov's statements.
All of these issues have lead to a serious deterioration of U.S.-Russian relations, Lavrov said. "It may sound absurd, but we had more mutual trust and respect on an intergovernment level during the Cold War," he said.
Lavrov's comments came a day after John Beyrle, who has been nominated as the new U.S. ambassador to Russia, said Washington would look to strengthen ties with Moscow.
Lavrov also addressed the Middle East, strongly warning against using force in dealing with Iran.
Palace Goes On Market
By Nadezhda Zaitseva
Publisher: Vedomosti
The Sheremetev Palace located at 18 Shpalernaya Ulitsa will shortly be up for sale after Taleon shareholders decided to sell it, it was announced on the company's official website. The total area of the building, which consists of seven apartments, 10 halls and an inner courtyard, is 4,887 square meters.
Taleon, which operates in the hotels, restaurants and casinos industry, acquired the building in 2001 on condition of investment after it had been destroyed by a fire, and became its owner in 2006 after reconstruction work was completed. The company lets out the residence at a cost of 1 million to 1.3 million rubles ($42,300 to $55,000) a day.
"The building was reconstructed with the purpose of selling it, and the funds will be invested into other Taleon projects," said the company's director, Boris Kazakov. He declined to specify the palace's value.
The controlling stake in Taleon belongs to Talio-Princeps, which according to returns accounting from the final quarter of 2007 is owned entirely by Alexander Yebralidze. Investment into the reconstruction of the Sheremetev Palace totaled about $40 million, Yebralidze said previously.
The value of such a property could be from $50 million to $70 million, said the director of investment consulting at the local office of Colliers International, Nikolai Kazansky.
The director of investment sales at Becar real estate, Alexei Lazutin, estimated the palace's value at a minimum of $20,000 to $22,000 per square meter. "It's a landmark, but the number of those wanting to acquire it might be limited due to its large size," he said.
Kazansky said that the building was suitable as the representative office of a major company. Lazutin agreed, saying it was unlikely to interest hotel operators.
The time when major firms and banks sought to acquire private mansions for their offices has passed, said Boris Moshensky, the general director of Maris | Part of the CBRE Affiliate Network. Now their main criterion is practicality, he said, and therefore they prefer high-class business centers to palaces.
By Francesca Mereu