 Moscow denounces US-Poland missile deal
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-16 08:03 A top Russian general says the deal for the United States to put a missile defense battery in Poland "cannot go unpunished". General Anatoly Nogovitsyn did not give specifics. But Russia has previously said it could aim missiles at any sites where missile-defense elements are deployed in Europe. Nogovitsyn told reporters yesterday that "it's a cause for regret that at a time when we are already in a difficult situation, the American side further exacerbates the situation in relations between the United States and Russia". Russian-US relations are tense over fighting between Georgian and Russian forces. Poland and the United States struck a deal on Thursday that will permit a missile defense battery in the former Soviet ally and deepen military ties. The preliminary deal was signed by deputy Polish Foreign Minister Andrzej Kremer and US chief negotiator John Rood. It must be endorsed by both governments and Poland's parliament. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk had insisted the United States provide more military cooperation in return for consent to host 10 interceptor rockets at a base in northern Poland. Washington says the interceptors and a radar in the Czech Republic will form part of a global shield protecting the United States and its allies from long-range missiles that could in the future be fired by Iran or groups such as Al-Qaida. "We have crossed the Rubicon," Tusk said just before the deal was signed. "We have finally got understanding of our point of view that Poland, being a crucial partner in NATO and an important friend and ally of the United States, must also be safe." Rood described the agreement with Poland as strong. "It elevates our security relationship to a new level," he said. Washington has agreed to move a battery of Patriot missiles from Germany to Poland as part of the deal, a senior US defense official said in Washington. Around 100 US military personnel would be needed to operate the system, he said. In what appeared to be a first sign of Moscow's displeasure, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday canceled a planned trip to Warsaw in September, Polish diplomats said. Moscow has threatened to take retaliatory steps against Poland and the Czech Republic, its former reluctant vassals who are now part of the European Union and NATO, for hosting the US. system on their territory. Agencies (China Daily 08/16/2008 page18) |
