http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20070223-1505-poland-usa-missiles.html
Poland agrees to negotiate with U.S. on missiles 3:05 p.m. February 23, 2007 WARSAW – Poland stepped closer to hosting U.S. anti-missile rocket systems on its soil despite Russian objections by formally agreeing on Friday to start detailed negotiations with Washington. The United States is building a global, multi-billion dollar 'anti-missile shield' to shoot down ballistic missiles that could be launched by what Washington calls 'rogue regimes'. Last month, it asked Poland and the Czech Republic, former Soviet satellites in central Europe who are now part of NATO and the European Union, to host parts of the system. 'The government expresses the intention to begin negotiations ..., declaring at the same time that any eventual agreement would have to strengthen U.S, Polish and international security,' Poland's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The U.S. plan irked Russia, which said the anti-missile system would upset the post-Cold War balance of power in Europe and threatened to pull out of arms control treaties in response. Washington says Russia has nothing to fear and rejected accusations, also levied by some of its European partners, that it had kept Moscow in the dark about the project until the last minute. 'We have briefed Russia extensively on the missile defence system,' a U.S. diplomatic official in Warsaw told Reuters. 'The Russian defence minister has been given a full tour of one of the sites in Alaska so it was surprising that this wave of protests surfaced in the last couple of weeks.' The official said all European NATO partners had also been briefed on the project. 'We have made it clear that the system can at any time be incorporated into NATO's own defence,' the official said. Negotiations with Poland could start in the next few weeks. If they are successful, the site could be ready in 3-4 years. Under the U.S. proposal, Poland would host interceptor rockets shooting down hostile missiles in space while a powerful radar guiding them would be put on Czech territory. Up to 300 U.S. troops would be stationed at the Polish base, a symbolic presence but one that officials in Warsaw believe would tie Poland even closer to the world's biggest superpower. The conservative government says it also expects tangible U.S. help in modernising its armed forces as part of the deal. The Polish public is sceptical, however, with opinion polls showing most Poles fearing that hosting the anti-missile shield would make their homeland a target for terrorist attacks. Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski's junior coalition partner, the leftist Self-Defence, also opposes the plan but analysts say the government is unlikely to fall over the issue. The government said on Friday parliament would have to ratify any deal on the missiles. Analysts said this would likely pass as the main opposition parties would back the plan. +++ ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Yahoo! Groups gets a make over. See the new email design. http://us.click.yahoo.com/hOt0.A/lOaOAA/yQLSAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
