Russia-West tension May Escalate as Poland, US Sign Anti-Missile Shield Deal and US Aid to Georgia

Poland, U.S. sign anti-missile shield deal

www.chinaview.cn 2008-08-15 04:48:38

WARSAW, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) --

Polish and U.S. negotiators signed a deal on Thursday to deploy parts of the U.S. global missile shield in Poland after Washington improved the terms of the deal amid the Georgia crisis.

The agreement provides for deploying Patriot missiles in Poland, without specifying their number, and strengthening Polish-U.S. military cooperation, Polish news agency PAP reported.

The agreement reportedly includes a declaration of U.S. military cooperation in case of a threat to Poland from third states.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, speaking in a televised interview here, said that the two sides agreed to Polish proposals that the United States help augment Poland's defenses in exchange for placing 10 missile defense interceptors in the European country.

Tusk said that the U.S. met the key Polish demands "concerning the permanent presence of Patriots, missiles that will be able to effectively protect our territory."

The deal was signed by Poland's Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Kremer and U.S. chief negotiator John Rood. It still needs to be endorsed by the Polish parliament.

The United States plans to install a base for 10 interceptor missiles in northern Poland to protect the U.S. and Europe from possible future attacks from what it calls "rogue" states, such as Iran. Talks opened at the start of last year but have bogged down over Polish demands for more military aid.

Warsaw has been lobbying Washington to provide a THAAD or Patriot-type air defense system in exchange for a Polish green light for hosting the silos.

Russia objects the anti-missile shield plan, saying it will threaten Russian national security. Moscow has warned that it will target its missiles at the system if it is deployed in Poland.

News Analysis: Russia-West tension may escalate over U.S. missile deal

www.chinaview.cn 2008-08-15 20:51:45

BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) --

Poland and the United States struck a deal Thursday to deploy parts of the U.S. global missile shield in Poland after Washington agreed to improve the European nation's air defenses.

The plan, however, may infuriate Russia and further strain its relations with the West, which are already tense due to Moscow's recent military action in Georgia over South Ossetia.

Analysts have warned that the move may threaten security and stability in Europe by sparking a new arms race in the region.

RUSSIAN ANGER

In what seemed to be a first sign of Moscow's opposition after the missile deal was signed, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Thursday canceled a trip to Warsaw planned for September, according to Polish diplomats.

On Thursday, Russia's parliamentary foreign affairs committee chairman Konstantin Kosachev warned that the agreement would spark" a real rise in tension in Russian-American relations," the Interfax news agency reported.

The lawmaker also reiterated the view that the defense shield actually targets Russia's arsenal.

In Jan. 2007, Washington officially unveiled its plan to base 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar facility in the neighboring Czech Republic to complete a global anti-missile system already in place in the United States, Britain and Greenland.

Washington insisted that the system is designed to protect the U.S. and Europe from possible attacks by what it calls missile-armed "rogue states."

Russia concerned by U.S. aid for Georgia

www.chinaview.cn 2008-08-15 02:44:02

MOSCOW, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) --

A senior Russian general said Thursday that Russia questioned cargoes airlifted by the United States to Georgia were really humanitarian aid, Russian news agencies reported.

"U.S. military transport aircraft are reported to have been airlifting some humanitarian cargoes to Tbilisi airport," Col. Gen.Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy head of Russia's General Staff, was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying at a press conference.

"We, the Russians, are extremely concerned about it," he said.

In a brief statement on Wednesday, U.S. President George W. Bush reiterated that the United States strongly supports the Georgian government and demanded Russian troops now in Georgia must withdraw.

The United States sent two C-17 military planes to Georgia late Wednesday and early Thursday as part of its humanitarian mission.

Meanwhile, Nogovitsyn denied claims by Georgian officials that Russian troops had blown up Georgia's Black Sea port of Poti, saying Russian armed forces have not taken any military action except conducting reconnaissance for two days.

He also refuted the reports that Russia had sent tanks into the Georgian city of Gori. However, he said armored vehicles with military personnel were there to take care of military depots abandoned by the Georgian forces.

The general said that Russia had stopped the buildup of troops in the region, but has not yet set a withdrawal date.

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