(AP)
Updated: 2007-08-16 22:52

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday denounced a US plan to deploy missile defense sites in Eastern Europe, calling it a threat to the region.

Ahmadinejad spoke at the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which includes China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Iran has observer status in the SCO.

The US says it wants to deploy missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic to deflect potential threats from Iran. But Russia has objected to the initiative as a threat to its own security and the balance of forces in Europe.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told the summit that "any attempts to solve global and regional problems unilaterally are hopeless" and called for "strengthening a multi-polar international system that would ensure equal security and opportunities for all countries."