U.S., Poland Resume Missile Defense Talks

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski is scheduled to meet this week with high-level U.S. officials to press his nation’s demands for compensation for hosting part of the Bush administration’s planned European missile shield, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Jan. 23).

The new Polish government under Prime Minister Donald Tusk is driving a harder bargain than its predecessor on becoming home to 10 U.S. missile interceptors, according to AP.  Warsaw officials have said the missile defense system must not threaten the nation’s security and have requested short- and medium-range air defenses as part of the deal.  Washington has appeared reluctant to provide such technology, AP reported.

Sikorski is scheduled to meet in Washington with Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates (Desmond Butler, Associated Press I/China Post, Jan. 31).

Washington also wants to place a missile defense radar in the Czech Republic.  The latest round of negotiations between U.S. and Czech officials ended yesterday in Prague, AP reported.

During the three-day session, negotiators focused on the legal status of U.S. personnel who would be deployed at the base.

Further talks are scheduled to resume Feb. 7.  Experts from the two nations are expected beforehand to consider taxes and penal legislation, according to the Czech Defense Ministry.  An agreement could be reached by midyear, Czech officials have said (Associated Press II/PR-inside, Jan. 30).

A Russian general said yesterday that the U.S. plan might lead to changes to his nation’s military presence in the enclave of Kaliningrad, AP reported.

The military’s General Staff is looking at strategies for making sure that troops remain “capable of guaranteeing the protection of Russian interests,” said Gen. Vladimir Shamanov.  He did not elaborate on the potential changes at the Baltic enclave, Russian Federation territory that is surrounded by Poland and Lithuania.

Russia has repeatedly characterized the U.S. plan as a threat to its security.  President Vladimir Putin has said his government might respond by placing missiles in the Kaliningrad enclave (Associated Press III/Moscow Times, Jan. 31).

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