BBC News Online.
Thursday, 18 October, 2001, 05:24 GMT 06:24 UK
Cuba has angrily criticised Russia's decision to shut down an electronic
spying base on the island.
An official Cuban statement said Russian President Vladimir 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 this week end.
"The agreement for the Lourdes radio-electronic centre is not
cancelled, as Cuba has not given its approval, and Russia will need to continue
negotiating with the Cuban Government given the important issues left to
resolve," the statement said.
The loss of the base is a blow to the economy of Cuba, which earned $200m a
year in rent from leasing the site to Russia.
President Putin said the Lourdes station, where around 1,500 Russians are
based, was too expensive to maintain.
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."
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
relations with the United States, which says it has been used as a centre for
spying on America. The US Congress voted last year to restrict financial aid to
Russia unless it closed the base.
Mr Putin stressed the decision did not mean its relations with Cuba - a key
Cold War ally - were being scaled down.
A naval base at Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam is also being closed.
General Kvashnin said the closures would allow Russia "to resolve a lot
of financial matters".
Cost-cutting
The BBC's Robert Parsons in Moscow says the closures have come as a surprise
- and only last year Mr Putin told the staff during a visit that their mission
played a very important role in government decision-making.
The decision, he says, may reflect the new mood of co-operation with the US
since the 11 September terror attacks, although the moves will also save
millions of dollars.
Officials quoted by the Associated Press news agency said the closure
decisions had been taken at a "stormy" meeting of senior military
leaders, chaired by Mr Putin.
"The president called on us to seek ways that could save resources,
including those within [the military]," said General Kvashnin.
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. | 
