Poland Indicates Reservations on Missile Defense

All costs and potential dangers must be addressed before Poland will allow the United States to install 10 missile interceptors within its borders, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said in an interview published this weekend (see GSN, Jan. 4).

“This is an American, not a Polish project,” Sikorski told the Gazeta Wyborcza.

He said that Warsaw feels “no threat” from Iran, which the Bush administration has identified as the primary threat that necessitates missile shield installations in Europe, the New York Times reported.

Officials in the new Polish government under Prime Minister Donald Tusk have appeared significantly less enthusiastic about the U.S. plan than their predecessors.  Warsaw has indicated that Washington and NATO must provide Poland with increased security systems and guarantees if the interceptor proposal is to go through.

“If an important ally such as the United States has a request of such an important nature, we take it very seriously,” said Sikorski, who had criticized the Kaczynski administration’s handling of the issue before being forced to resign as defense minister from the last government.  “It is not only the benefits but the risk of the system that have to be discussed fully.  It cannot be that we alone carry the costs.”

One concern is that Poland might approve the White House proposal, potentially damaging relations with neighboring Russia, only to see the missile defense plan die following the November U.S. presidential election.  Moscow has vehemently opposed the Bush administration plan — which also calls for a radar base in the Czech Republic — as a threat to its security (see GSN, Dec. 20, 2007).

Polish Defense Minister Bogdan Klich is expected to discuss the missile defense plan with U.S. officials during a visit to Washington this month, the Times reported.  Polish and Russian officials also plan to consider the matter during talks this month in Warsaw (Judy Dempsey, New York Times, Jan. 7).

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