World Weapon Watch

[Pintu]

Russia to test fire Topol Ballistic Missile in April: Ria Novosty

According to RIA Novosty , Russia will test launch a Topol ICBM, on April 10.

The Link and the report are follows:
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090330/120815060.html

Russia to test launch Topol ballistic missile in April
16:06 | 30/ 03/ 2009

Print version

MOSCOW, March 30 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will test launch on April 10 a Topol intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia, the Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) said on Monday.

The RS-12M Topol (SS-25 Sickle) is a single-warhead intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) approximately the same size and shape as the U.S. Minuteman ICBM. The first Topol missiles were put into service in 1985.

"The goal of the upcoming launch is to confirm the reliability of the technical characteristics [of the missile] during an extended service period," the SMF said in a statement.

The missile has a maximum range of 10,000 km (6,125 miles) and can carry a 550-kiloton nuclear warhead.

Although the service life of the SS-25 was extended to 21 years after a series of successful test launches last year, the missile will be progressively retired over the next decade and be replaced by a mobile version of the Topol-M (SS-27 Stalin) missile.

According to open sources, Russia's SMF has a total of 541 ICBMs, including 306 Topol missiles and 59 Topol-M missiles.

 

[A.V.]

laser SAMs

March 31, 2009: For the last decade, the U.S. Department of Defense has spent over five billion dollars on laser weapons that could shoot down guided missiles, unguided rockets, artillery and mortar shells. These efforts have not reached the battlefield. Some systems came close, but the basic problems were that the laser equipment was not rugged enough for battlefield use, and power supplies were not sufficient to fire the laser often enough to be useful.
The billions have not been wasted, but they did buy a lot of disappointment. At the same time, the money and development effort has, slowly, moved the technology towards the point where lasers will be robust enough, and sufficiently supplied with energy, to make themselves effective for the troops. Close now, but not there yet. The Department of Defense fears that a sharp reduction of the defense budget will halt the development money. That would stop work, except for what the manufacturers might continue on their own nickel, and battlefield lasers would remain suspended just short of being useful.

It's not the first time this has happened. At the end of World War II, smart bombs were just coming into use. While primitive, they worked. Same with wire guided missiles ballistic missiles, nuclear weapons and many other bits of military technology we still consider "high tech". Development stopped on most of these systems after the war. Work continued on ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons. Over the next few decades, work resumed on all these, and most are now in service. Thus the end of the development money is never the end of the line.

 

[Blitz]

Russia may pull 20,000 Interior Ministry troops out of Chechnya

Around 20,000 troops from Russia's Interior Ministry forces will be withdrawn from Chechnya if the antiterrorism operation ends in the North Caucasus republic, the ministry said on Monday.

Russia has been conducting its antiterrorism campaign in Chechnya since September 1999. The operation includes the deployment of special police units, frequent police sweeps, and heightened security at key facilities.

"If a political decision on ending the antiterrorism operation regime in Chechnya is taken, practically all Interior Forces units kept there on rotation will be withdrawn from the republic," ministry spokesman Col. Vasily Panchenkov said, adding that the number of troops slated for withdrawal totaled around 20,000 personnel.

President Dmitry Medvedev ordered last Friday the Federal Security Service (FSB) chief, Alexander Bortnikov, to consider formally ending the operation in Chechnya.

Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee will meet to discuss the issue on March 31.

"However, the 46th brigade from the Interior Ministry and the 42nd division from the Defense Ministry, which are deployed in Chechnya on a permanent basis, will remain in the republic," Panchenkov said.

Although the active phase of the antiterrorism campaign in the North Caucasus officially ended in 2001, periodic bombings and clashes between militants and federal troops still disrupt Chechnya and nearby regions, particularly Daghestan and Ingushetia.

 

[pyromaniac]

Lasers Are The Weapon Of The Future

For the last decade, the U.S. Department of Defense has spent over five billion dollars on laser weapons that could shoot down guided missiles, unguided rockets, artillery and mortar shells. These efforts have not reached the battlefield. Some systems came close, but the basic problems were that the laser equipment was not rugged enough for battlefield use, and power supplies were not sufficient to fire the laser often enough to be useful.

The billions have not been wasted, but they did buy a lot of disappointment. At the same time, the money and development effort has, slowly, moved the technology towards the point where lasers will be robust enough, and sufficiently supplied with energy, to make themselves effective for the troops. Close now, but not there yet. The Department of Defense fears that a sharp reduction of the defense budget will halt the development money. That would stop work, except for what the manufacturers might continue on their own nickel, and battlefield lasers would remain suspended just short of being useful.

It's not the first time this has happened. At the end of World War II, smart bombs were just coming into use. While primitive, they worked. Same with wire guided missiles ballistic missiles, nuclear weapons and many other bits of military technology we still consider "high tech". Development stopped on most of these systems after the war. Work continued on ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons. Over the next few decades, work resumed on all these, and most are now in service. Thus the end of the development money is never the end of the line.

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htada/articles/20090331.aspx

 

[pyromaniac]

Boeing Unveils New International F-15 Configuration, the F-15 Silent Eagle

The Boeing Company today in St. Louis unveiled the F-15 Silent Eagle (F-15SE), a new F-15 configuration designed to meet the future needs of international customers.

"The F-15 Silent Eagle is designed to meet our international customers' anticipated need for cost-effective stealth technologies, as well as for large and diverse weapons payloads," said Mark Bass, F-15 Program vice president for Boeing. "The innovative Silent Eagle is a balanced, affordable approach designed to meet future survivability needs."

Improvements in stealth include coatings and treatments on the aircraft. With the added advantage of redesigned conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) that allow for internal weapons carriage, the Silent Eagle becomes a very attractive fighter for Boeing's international customers.

Depending on the specific mission, the customer can use the CFTs that are designed for internal carriage or change back to the traditional CFTs for optimum fuel capacity and external weapons carriage. The Silent Eagle will be able to internally carry air-to-air missiles such as the AIM-9 and AIM-120 and air-to-ground weapons such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and Small Diameter Bomb (SDB).

The standard weapons load used on current versions of the F-15 is available with the traditional CFTs installed.

The aircraft's canted vertical tails improve aerodynamic efficiency, provide lift, and reduce airframe weight. Another aerodynamic improvement is the Digital Flight Control System, which improves the aircraft's reliability and reduces airframe weight.

Survivability improvements include a BAES Digital Electronic Warfare System (DEWS) working in concert with the Raytheon Advanced Electronic Scanning Array (AESA) radar.

Boeing has completed a conceptual prototype of the CFT internal-carriage concept, and plans to flight-test a prototype by the first quarter of 2010, including a live missile launch.

The design, development, and test of this internal carriage system are available as a collaborative project with an international aerospace partner.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

http://www.defencetalk.com/news/pub...al_F-15_Configuration_the_F-15SE100017366.php

 

[vijaytripoli]

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/sto...Stealthy F-15
Boeing Unveils New Stealthy F-15

Mar 17, 2009
Amy Butler/St. Louis, Mo. [email protected]


More photos are available at the Ares defense technology blog, and in a series of photos in our Defense Showcase gallery, starting here.

Boeing unveiled the prototype of a new variant of the F-15 Strike Eagle aimed at the Asian and Middle East markets that will incorporate stealthy coatings and structure here on Mar. 17.

Company officials hope the new aircraft will garner up to 190 orders, extending the F-15 line beyond the current backlog of 38 aircraft for South Korea and Singapore. Since the company lost the Joint Strike Fighter contest to Lockheed Martin, the future of its St. Louis manufacturing facility has been uncertain. Continued F-15 sales, as well as additional orders for F/A-18E/Fs and EA-18Gs, are the only work in the foreseeable future for the plant.

Major design changes in the new "Silent Eagle" version include internal bays within the existing conformal fuel tanks that can carry a variety of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. Each tank will be configured to hold two air-to-air missiles, including the AIM-9 and AIM-120 or a combination of the two.For the air-to-ground mission, 1,000- and 500-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions can be carried or four 250-pound Small Diameter Bombs per tank. Weapons loadout can also be split between the AIM-120 and JDAM for a multirole mission.The Silent Eagle configuration includes 15-degree outward-canted V-tails - a shift away from the characteristic vertical fins of the F-15 that reduces the radar cross-section.

The Mach 2.5 speed of the Strike Eagle is maintained, but the cost is about 180-200 nautical miles of range capability because of the reduce fuel in the conformal tanks, says Brad Jones, program manger for F-15 future programs.

The new design includes a digital electronic warfare system (DEWS), made by BAE Systems, that can operate simultaneously with the aircraft's Raytheon active electronically scanned array radar.

Stealth coatings, though not yet applied to Boeing's prototype, could be added at a later time. Boeing says the coatings could contibute to an equivalent amount of front-aspect stealth as that offered by Lockheed's F-35. This includes reducing radar returns from sharp edges on the aircraft, including antennae.

Stealthiness for the F-15 was explored about a decade ago for the U.S. Air Force as an alternative to the Lockheed-led F-22, but was never pursued. "The internal carriage is what is new. The stealth is not," Jones says, adding "We are not really after the F-22 market or the F-35 market" with this new design.

The level of stealthiness exportable on the F-15 is up to the U.S. government to decide, Jones says. Though USAF officials have been given courtesy briefings on the Silent Eagle, talks on stealth exportability have not yet occurred.

A radar blocker for engine inlets, already fitted in F/A-18E/Fs, could be added depending on how much radar cross-section reduction is required by the customer and allowed by the government.

Jones estimates the cost of a Silent Eagle will be about $100 million per aircraft, including spares, if built new. A retrofit kit including the conformal fuel tanks, DEWS and coatings could be added to existing Strike Eagles, he says.

The target market includes South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Israel and Saudi Arabia, Jones says. The first likely customer is South Korea, which is looking for two new fighters, including its F-X Phase III program, which calls for 60 aircraft in the F-15 class.

South Korea's Agency for Defense Development is also pushing for a KFX program, which calls for about 120 domestically developed stealth fighters. Jones says coproduction of stealth materials would be subject to U.S. government review and a tough case to sell.

Japan and Saudi Arabia are also looking for new F-15-class fighters. And if the Silent Eagle were sold to the Saudis, Israel likely would want a chance to buy the aircraft too to maintain balance of power in the Middle East.

Boeing's willingness to integrate indigenous systems, such as electronic warfare suites, onto the Silent Eagle is an option that could be of interest to these customers - especially Israel. Israeli industry was recently rebuffed by U.S. officials unwilling to add foreign EW systems under the F-35 development program.

The weapons-carrying fuel tanks, which are affixed to the aircraft with two bolts, and can be removed within about 2.5 hours. Reinstalling the original fuel tanks restores the F-15 to its nonstealthy configuration, which is capable of hauling more and larger weapons, including anti-ship missiles.

The Silent Eagle prototype is based on F-15E1, the program's flight test aircraft. To date, it has been outfitted with the conformal tanks and the canted tails, which are for demonstration only and not structurally integrated. The actual canted tails would be added later if a customer requested them. Stealth coatings and engine intake blockers have not been added.

Jones says Boeing hopes to begin flight testing the weapons-carrying conformal tanks on the aircraft in the first quarter of next year. Design work on the Silent Eagle concept began in September last year in response to feedback from F--15 customers, he says.

 

[vijaytripoli]

here is the new boeing

 

[vijaytripoli]

In pdf they are reporting that 2nd raptor crashed today killing pilot!
Can anybody confirm it please!
Chau

 

[Triton]

In pdf they are reporting that 2nd raptor crashed today killing pilot!
Can anybody confirm it please!
Chau

Last weeks crash in Californian desert was the second crash in Raptor history and the previous one was:

In 2004, an F-22 Raptor crashed on a training mission in the Nevada desert. The pilot ejected and was not hurt, though the jet was destroyed.

Do you really think any of the F-22s are flying now? I think they will be back in action once the authorities make a clear report of the latest crash. Why don't you ask the poster to give a credible source or link to his claim

 

[vijaytripoli]

sorry that was wrong news from pdf!
chau

 

[Pintu]

US President Barak Obama warns that Al-Qaida is likely to Hit Europe rather the USA

According to the Times of India , The US president Barak Obama has warned that the Al-Qaida is more likely to attack targets in Europe rather attacking targets in the USA.

Here is the link and the report from the Times of India:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-Europe-than-US-Obama/articleshow/4355786.cms

Al-Qaida more likely to hit Europe than US: Obama
3 Apr 2009, 1750 hrs IST, AFP
Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
STRASBOURG: President Barack Obama warned Friday that al-Qaida is more likely to attack targets in Europe than in the United States, urging his
NATO allies to unite behind his Afghan war strategy.

"France recognises that having al-Qaida operate safe havens than can be used to launch attacks is a threat not just to the United States but to Europe," he told reporters at a news conference with France's President Nicolas Sarkozy.

"In fact it is probably more likely that al-Qaida would be able to launch a serious terrorist attack in Europe than in the United States, because of proximity," Obama said, just ahead of NATO's 60th anniversary summit.

"This is not an American mission, this is a NATO mission, this is an international mission," he declared, before talks at which he is expected to promote his plan to boost NATO forces in Afghanistan.

 

[rock45]

Mirage 2000-5

I read in a different forum where France turn their backs to Taiwan and is not upgrading their MICA missiles, thus leaving them 90% useless. I was wondering what other options are open to Taiwan I assume the engines, radar's, frames themselves are still air worthy and operational.

I wonder if some Israeli radar could be installed and teamed with Python V and Derby missiles? Could this happen? Does anybody know if Israel would sell to Taiwan and go against China? The Mirage 2000-5 is a good platform seems like waste and too big of a lose for Taiwan not to do something with them right?

Thanks

 

[K Factor]

Don't think Israel will sell Derby or Python-5 to Taiwan mate. China would shout like hell.

Mirage 2000-5s still have some time to go, maybe 5-10yrs.

 

[rock45]

Taiwan

Would any big aircraft maker/government sell to Taiwan? Those A/B Vipers must be getting on the older side.

US - Mixed I guess some chance for modern C/D Vipers but slim, if it didn't happen under Bush
France - No commercial airliner industry is a bigger market for France and China future market in this area is huge.
UK - I don't know?
Russia? That would be a full turn around but not worth it even for a 100 fighters.
Gripen? I don't know?

I think Taiwan in trouble?

 

[VayuSena1]

Wednesday, 25 March 2009

link:-bbc.uk

A state-of-the-art US air force F-22 fighter has crashed in the desert in southern California, the Pentagon says.

The fate of the pilot was not immediately known after the plane, which was on a test mission, came down near Edwards Air Force Base.

The US air force website lists the F-22 Raptor, which is made by Lockheed Martin, as its newest fighter.

The air force said the jet has "better reliability and maintainability than any fighter aircraft in history".

The F-22 crashed at about 1000 local time (1700 GMT), officials said.

Rescue teams were reported to be on their way to the crash site.

The $140m (£96m), supersonic F-22 is a so-called fifth generation jet, and arguably the world's most sophisticated fighter.

It is capable of both air-to-air and ground attacks.

But the $65 billion F-22 programme has faced criticism, with opponents saying the jet is too costly and not sufficiently versatile.

The US government is committed to buying 183 F-22s reduced from the original plan laid out in the 1980s to build 750, the Associated Press news agency reported.

The air force said the crash was the second involving an F-22.

"The first one was during the aircraft's test and evaluation period in December 2004 also at Edwards, during which the pilot ejected safely," a statement said.

You know, for all the hype they made about Raptor being invincible in every aspect, two crashes that too in non-military flights is not something that is going to help the Raptor in maintaining its "invincible" profile.

As an airman myself, I do agree that there might have been factors out of human control that might have led to the death of Mr. Cooley such as jamming of ejection seat, too close to the surface to regain any possible control, something wrong with flight control systems, improper pre-flight check. etc etc however what continues to surprise me is that Lockheed Martin has been so tight lipped about the crash with just one new piece.

Owing to Raptor's reputation and profile, I expected more eyebrows to be raised. A little away from this topic, in my free time I have been reading some disturbing news about JSF's "unsatisfactory" properties that has some of the member nations in the project regret joining the JSF programme, Australia and Netherlands to be precise. I would like to know what US Air Force has to say about both this crash as well as the JSF programme's not-so-favourable position among partnering nations.

 

[VayuSena1]

France has reduced the production rate of its new Rafale jet fighter from 14 a year to 11 a year. This will slow down the delivery of Rafales, mainly because the Defense Ministry has decided that other things are more important. The new emphasis (and spending) is on peacekeeping and anti-missile defenses. Another reason for slowing down Rafale production is the lack of export orders.

Late last year, France ordered another 60 Rafale jet fighters, and these will be delivered over the next six years. Officially, France plans to buy 294, and 60 have been delivered so far. Three years ago, the French Air Force activated its first squadron of Rafale fighters. The navy had received ten navalized Rafales three years before that, for service on the nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. The first prototype of Rafale was shown in 1986, and the aircraft should have entered service in the late 1990s.

While one of the more modern combat aircraft in the world, development of the Rafale was delayed by technical problems, and shortages of money. Entering development just as the Cold War ended meant that there was little enthusiasm to spend billions on an aircraft that would face no real opposition. But, facing the need to eventually replace all those Mirage fighters, development did get restarted, creating an aircraft superior to the American F-15s and F-16s, very similar to the F-18F, but inferior to the F-22 and F-35.

The Eurofighter, and several other very competitive aircraft have made export sales scarce. By 2006, the French armed forces had only ordered 120 Rafales (82 for the air force, 38 for the navy). The 28 ton aircraft sell for about $100 million each, and so far, there have been no export orders.



http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htproc/articles/20090325.aspx

This is where I think India could offer relief to the French. In the upcoming MRCA tender, should Rafale win the 200-jet order as favored my most Indian civilians and airmen alike, its unit price could drop significantly enabling both French air force and Indian air force to induct their latest versions in substantial quantities. This could also enable a return in increase of unit production rate per year back to the usual 60.

 

[rock45]

Rafale

The Rafale is one of the aircraft I'm pulling for, India's Mirage 2000 serves Indian Air Force very well I'm sure the Rafale would as well. The Rafale could fill a dual role, rated better then a Viper in air to air (Pakistan's main threat) and could grow in the air to ground role in the F3 models. Getting the unit price down and maybe producing the MICA in house would be good offset benefits for India to bid for.

 

[pyromaniac]

Russia to test launch Topol ballistic missile in April

Russia will test launch on April 10 a Topol intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia, the Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) said on Monday.

The RS-12M Topol (SS-25 Sickle) is a single-warhead intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) approximately the same size and shape as the U.S. Minuteman ICBM. The first Topol missiles were put into service in 1985.

"The goal of the upcoming launch is to confirm the reliability of the technical characteristics [of the missile] during an extended service period," the SMF said in a statement.

The missile has a maximum range of 10,000 km (6,125 miles) and can carry a 550-kiloton nuclear warhead.

Although the service life of the SS-25 was extended to 21 years after a series of successful test launches last year, the missile will be progressively retired over the next decade and be replaced by a mobile version of the Topol-M (SS-27 Stalin) missile.

According to open sources, Russia's SMF has a total of 541 ICBMs, including 306 Topol missiles and 59 Topol-M missiles.


http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090330/120815060.html

 

[pyromaniac]

North Korea warned military of missile fallout

REGIONAL meetings of military officials in North Korea were explicitly told last month to prepare for an intercontinental ballistic missile test and the potential conflict it might provoke, a defector now living in Seoul has told the Herald.

The revelation was made as the South Korean Government hinted at a harder line in response to the firing of a rocket over Japan on Sunday, which North Korea said was the launch of a satellite.

After a meeting on Monday with opposition parties, South Korea's President, Lee Myung-bak, announced his Government would "actively consider" joining the US-led Proliferation Security Initiative, which aims to curb the global trade in weapons of mass destruction.

Membership in the program would oblige Seoul to intervene if it knew North Korean vessels passing through its waters carried weapons technology.

Reports in Seoul yesterday said North Korea had threatened an armed response should South Korea join the program, calling it a "declaration of war".

North Korea has been mobilised for a regional conflict for the past 10 days, according to a 35-year-old defector from Jagang Province in North Korea.

"They had a special officers meeting throughout the country. It was held on March 26," the defector said in Seoul yesterday.

"They officially announced they will test ICBM missile which could attack the centre of the United States.

"Last week before the launch, I talked to someone who attended this officers' meeting. He personally confirmed it, but it has also been confirmed through other channels of other defectors."

The defector, who did not want to be named, escaped in 2006 and now helps gather information on his homeland for an independent South Korean news service.

"Before the actual launch, it was officially announced that the US and Japan were going to shoot defence missiles, and North Korea was going to retaliate," he said.

"From April 1 they declared a wartime operation. That means you get all the veterans together and they are being trained."

On Monday, Mr Lee told the National Assembly the Government was adjusting its timetable for entry to the counter-proliferation program.

"We are actively considering joining it," the Government's spokesman, Lee Dong-kwan, said yesterday.


http://www.smh.com.au/world/north-korea-warned-military-of-missile-fallout-20090407-9zm5.html

 

[Singh]

U.S. to join nuclear talks with Iran, State Department says

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In a dramatic break from previous policy, the United States will join direct talks between U.N. and European powers and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program, the State Department announced Wednesday.

The Obama administration has asked the European Union's international policy chief, Javier Solana, to invite Iran to new talks with the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said.

"If Iran accepts, we hope this will be an occasion to seriously engage Iran of how to break the logjam of recent years and work in a cooperative manner to resolve the outstanding international concerns about its nuclear program," Wood said.

Iran so far has refused Security Council demands to halt its production of enriched uranium, which it has said will be used to fuel nuclear power plants. The United States has accused Tehran of concealing efforts to develop a nuclear bomb, and the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency said it has failed to resolve questions about the aim of Iranian program.

The Bush administration had insisted that Iran first stop its nuclear program before any talks with the United States or its allies could go forward. Wednesday's announcement is the latest step in the Obama administration's efforts to engage the Islamic republic diplomatically after nearly three decades without formal ties.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, briefly addressing the administration's decision Wednesday, told reporters that "pursuing very careful engagement on a range of issues that affect our interests and the interests of the world with Iran makes sense."

"And there's nothing more important than trying to convince Iran to cease its efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon," Clinton said at the State Department, where she was meeting Panama's foreign affairs minister. Her comments came in response to a reporter's question about engaging Iran.

Washington, which has not had diplomatic relations with Iran since 1980, has participated in previous talks only as an observer. Wood would not speculate about whether a meeting involving Iran and the rest of the group might lead to direct one-on-one meetings of U.S. and Iranian officials.

"It's a little early to talk about that right now," he said.

Iran has so far responded coolly to the American overtures. In a statement carried on Iranian state television Wednesday evening, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Washington "has no right to suggest how other nations should live."

"Those who have nuclear bombs are backward nations, because the time for threats is over," Ahmadinejad said.

And in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency, Ahmadinejad said Iran was "ready to cooperate" toward nuclear disarmament, as long as those efforts did not create obstacles for countries that wish to produce nuclear fuel for civilian power.

No date has been set for the next meeting of the "P-5 plus 1" group, which includes the five Security Council permanent members -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- as well as Germany. But Wednesday's announcement comes amidst a variety of signals from both sides that a major diplomatic shift was in the winds.

In March, President Obama delivered a televised message to the Iranian people offering new diplomatic engagement. And Clinton sat down with an Iranian official at a recent conference in the Netherlands on Afghanistan, but the two diplomats had no one-on-one contact.

During his presidential campaign, Obama called for talks with Iran without pre-conditions -- a proposal sharply criticized by Clinton, then his chief opponent for the Democratic nomination, among others.

ig obstacles to a U.S.-Iranian thaw remain, including reports from Tehran on Wednesday that Iranian authorities have charged an American journalist with espionage. Clinton told reporters that the the U.S. had asked the Swiss -- who represent U.S. interests in Iran -- for up-to-date information about Roxana Saberi, who has been jailed for nearly three months.

During the March 31 meeting in the Netherlands, the United States delivered a note to Iran that asked for a response on the status of Saberi and American citizens detained or missing in Iran. U.S. officials say they are still awaiting a response from the Iranians to the note.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/08/us.iran.nuclear/index.html