Clinton: U.S. must decide on minimum protection before disarming

"What we have to do is to have a target design that we believe is adequate to protect the United States and that our missile component will serve," he said. "And if we do that, then we could agree with them to reduce the number of missiles."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that both countries reduce their numbers of nuclear warheads to under 1,500. The proposed START III agreement suggests a reduction to between 1,500 and 2,000 warheads. At the same time, Putin has stuck to his rejection of U.S. plans for a national missile defence (NMD) system.

Clinton said on Sunday he believed there was a way to convince Russia and China and other countries to work together on developing enough missile defence to "stop the rogue states and terrorists from piercing the barriers" of their countries.

"If the technology existed which would give us high levels of confidence that one or two or five or ten missiles could be stopped from coming into the country, it would be hard to justify not putting it up," he said.

But Clinton said such a collaboration would require extensive research and cooperation, and that he would pass the rest of the process along to his successor.

"What I tried to do was buy some time so my successor could sit down with the Russians, the Chinese, with any others who are parties and interests - and our European allies, of course -- and try to plot out a future that would leave us safer than we are today."

(la/news.ch)