Rome. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Thursday that he fears "an escalation" in tensions between Russia and the United States over Washington's plans to install an anti-missile defence system in eastern Europe, AFP reported.

"We need to ensure that the two parties meet," Berlusconi told a press conference in the southern town of Naples, adding that he feared "an escalation in the resistance between Russia and the US."

"I am convinced that the United States certainly has the right to defend itself if it sees a threat to its security," the Italian premier said.

Berlusconi had said Wednesday that the United States should "change its approach" on the anti-missile system as it "cannot allow itself to slip towards a cold war with Russia."

Berlusconi claimed US president-elect Barack Obama, who takes office in January, had told him that he planned to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev as soon as possible.

"Mr Obama is the first to recognise that nobody could help as much as me in this endeavour," Berlusconi told Italian daily La Stampa.

The administration of US President George W. Bush wants to deploy an anti-missile radar in the Czech Republic and 10 missile interceptors in Poland by 2013-2014, drawing stinging criticism from Moscow.

Washington insists the facilities are needed to protect against "rogue states" like Iran, but Moscow has portrayed them as a threat to its security.

Within hours of Obama's November 4 election triumph, Medvedev threatened to position missiles near the border with Poland in response to the planned missile shield.

Yet in a telephone conversation three days later, Medvedev and Obama spoke about "the need to organise a meeting soon," the Kremlin said in a statement, without specifying a date.

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