Sunday, 30 December, 2001, 01:16 GMT.
BBC News
The Russian Defence Ministry says it plans to dismantle a radar base in Cuba
next month, despite Cuban objections to the closure.
Antonov transport planes will fly the equipment back to Russia, starting in
mid-January, according to a statement released on Saturday.
The decision to close the base, which Russia has maintained on the Caribbean
island for 40 years, was announced in October by President Vladimir Putin, who
said it was too expensive.
The Cuban authorities were dismayed by the move, saying the closure
constituted a grave threat to the island's security.
The base at Lourdes, about 20 km (12.5 miles) from the Cuban capital,
Havana, was set up after the Cuban missile crisis to monitor US military moves
and communications.
About 1,500 Russian technicians and military personnel and their families
live and work at the base, which costs Moscow $200m a year to rent.
When the closure was announced, the Russian chief of staff, General Anatoly
Kvashnin, said: "It costs $200m a year in rent to Cuba. For that amount, we
can buy and launch 20 military satellites into space."
But, in an official statement, the Cuban authorities said Mr Putin wanted
the radar base shut down as "a special present" to US President George
W Bush ahead of a meeting between the two men
Sore point
The US welcomed Russia's announcement as another sign the Cold War was over.
The base, which houses radar and electronic equipment, was a sore point in
Russia-US relations.
The US said the base had been used as a centre for spying on its operations
and the US Congress voted last year to restrict financial aid to Russia unless
it closed the base.
Denying the US spy claims, Moscow has always made clear it sees the base as
vital for checking whether the US has complied with disarmament treaties, and
for monitoring missile launches.
Mr Putin has stressed the decision does not mean its relations with Cuba - a
key Cold War ally - are being scaled down.
A naval base at Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam is also being closed.
The closure of the Cuban base came as something of a surprise - only last
year Mr Putin visited and told staff they played an important role in government
decision-making. | 
