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19 November 2007 |
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http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/19/europe/EU-GEN... |
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See also: other related news items. WARSAW, Poland: Poland's new defense minister said the country should take a new look at whether allowing the United States to base part of a missile defense system in the country would serve its interests, according to a newspaper interview published Monday. Bogdan Klich's remarks, published in the Dziennik daily, underlined the shift in thinking on the issue under Poland's new government, which took power Friday. The new prime minister, Donald Tusk, and his government have vowed to take a firmer stand in its relations with the United States. Under former Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Warsaw began negotiations with Washington on its request to place 10 interceptor missiles in the country, frequently expressing strong support for the plan as a way to strengthen the trans-Atlantic alliance. But in the interview, Klich was quoted as saying that Poland must once again "weigh the benefits and costs of this project for Poland. And if that balance results unfavorably, we should draw a conclusion from those results." There is some anxiety in Poland that Warsaw could further strain its already shaky ties with Moscow by agreeing to base the missile defense interceptors on its territory. Russian officials have repeatedly warned that the U.S. plan could lead to a new arms race, with a senior general warning last week that Russia could send short-range missiles to Belarus — which borders Poland — as part of efforts to counter the planned missile defense sites. The U.S., which also plans a radar site in the Czech Republic, insists the system is meant to target possible threats from Iran, not Russia. Other Polish leaders, including new Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, have warned against provoking Russia without first being sure that U.S. Congress will indeed back up the plan with funds. In Brussels, Czech European Affairs Minister Alexandr Vondra said he had discussed the issue with Klich and Sikorski, and did not expect Poland to back out. "Poland might put an accent on different aspects of the issue, it might bargain harder, but essentially I'm not expecting a fundamental change. We're in contact and consulting," Vondra told journalists. The Czech government has been receptive to the U.S. proposal, but most Czechs oppose it, according to polls. |
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19 November 2007 |
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http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/19/europe/shield.php |
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WARSAW: The new defense minister of Poland said his country should reconsider whether allowing the United States to base part of a missile defense system in the country serves Polish interests. The comments by Bogdan Klich, published Monday, underlined the shift in thinking under the new government that took office Friday. Prime Minister Donald Tusk has vowed to take a firmer stand in relations with the United States. Under former Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Warsaw began negotiations on Washington's request to place 10 interceptor missiles in Poland, frequently expressing strong support for the plan as a way to strengthen the trans-Atlantic alliance. But in an interview with the Dziennik daily, Klich said Poland must once again "weigh the benefits and costs of this project for Poland. And if that balance results unfavorably, we should draw a conclusion from those results." There is some anxiety in Poland that Warsaw could further strain its already shaky ties with Moscow by agreeing to base the missile defense interceptors on its territory. Russian officials repeatedly have warned that the U.S. plan could lead to a new arms race, with a senior general warning last week that Russia could send short-range missiles to Belarus - which borders Poland - as part of efforts to counter the planned missile defense sites. The United States, which also wants to place a radar site in the Czech Republic, insists the system is meant to target possible threats from Iran, not Russia. Other Polish leaders, including the new foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, have warned against provoking Russia without first being sure that Washington will back up the plan with funds. On Saturday, about 1,000 protesters in the Czech capital voiced their opposition to the U.S. plans and demanded a nationwide referendum on the issue. "A majority of the people opposes the project," said Jan Tamas, an organizer of the rally in Prague. "Yet the government continues the negotiations." Waving banners that read, "Yankees, Keep Your Radar at Home," and "Could the Planet's Worries Be Solved by Radars and Rockets?" the protesters at Wenceslas Square repeatedly shouted, "Referendum!" |
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19 November 2007 |
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http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jMz8-lky0plTKJqSOzX7hKePdKOA |
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WARSAW, Poland - Poland is reconsidering it's participation in Washington's European-based missile defence system. Defence Minister Bogdan Klich says he wants to ensure the missile system serves Poland's interests. Klich's comments underlined the shift in thinking under the new pro-business government that took office Friday. There is anxiety in Poland that Warsaw could further strain its already shaky ties with Moscow by agreeing to allow U.S. interceptor missiles on its territory. Other Polish leaders, including new Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, have warned against provoking Russia without being sure that Washington offers compensating benefits. The United States insists the interceptors are aimed at countering an alleged Iranian missile threat. Moscow scoffs at that, saying that plan undermines Russia's nuclear deterrent. It threatens to take countermeasures, including basing short-range nuclear missiles in Belarus, which borders Poland. Under former prime minister Warsaw Kaczynski, Warsaw began negotiations on Washington's request to place 10 interceptor missiles in Poland, frequently expressing strong support for the plan as a way to strengthen the transatlantic alliance. But in an interview with the newspaper Dziennik, Klich said Poland must once again "weigh the benefits and costs of this project for Poland." "And if that balance results unfavourably, we should draw a conclusion from those results," he said. |
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