BERLIN, March 7 (AFP) - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, headed to Washington later this month for talks with US President George W. Bush, said Wednesday he would wait and see before taking a stand on US plans for a National Missile Defense (NMD) system.

Asked about his views on NMD by the daily Saarbruecker Zeitung in an interview to be published Thursday, Schroeder said a range of questions had to be addressed before the plans for NMD could be evaluated.

"I have always pointed out that there are two aspects," he was quoted as saying. "First there are the questions: What is the threat analysis? Is it technically feasible? What does it cost? What effect does it have on Russia and China?"

Advising "calmness" in debate on the issue, he said another aspect to consider was the opportunities for technological cooperation that development of NMD might offer Germany if the United States moves forward with it.

Schroeder had initially expressed reservations about a missile shield when it was proposed last year under former US president Bill Clinton, saying it could lead to a new arms race.

But he caused a stir in German media last week when he said that Germany would seek to share in the economic and technological benefits of building the system if it goes ahead, which indicated an apparent change in policy in favor of NMD.

Schroeder told the newspaper that his comments did not reflect a change of heart but rather an open attitude to US-German dialogue on the matter. "There are of course varying opinions on certain issues in America and Germany," he said.

"And of course there is the necessity to have a dialogue if foreign or security policy on an important issue changes."

The United States has proposed extending the shield that it plans to develop against any missiles fired by so-called rogue states, like Iran or North Korea, to its European allies.

In a press interview last week, Schroeder suggested the proposed shield was unthinkable without the participation of the NATO allies, but acknowledged there were doubts about whether Washington would be prepared to share the technology if the plan goes ahead.

"On this point the Americans would probably be, to put it in a friendly way, very reticent," Schroeder said.

Schroeder will visit Bush in Washington March 29. NMD is expected to be at the top of the agenda.

His defense minister, Rudolf Scharping, arrived in Washington Wednesday for a three-day visit where he will meet with his US counterpart, Donald Rumsfeld, and other military and security officials.