Thoughts on anything from Georgia to the missile shield?
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Russia warns of response to US missile shield
Aug 20 01:42 PM US/Eastern
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MOSCOW (AP) - Russia says its response to the further development of a U.S. missile shield in Poland will go beyond diplomacy. Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the U.S. missile shield plans are clearly aimed at weakening Russia.
The U.S. says the missile defense system is aimed at protecting the U.S. and Europe from future attacks from states like Iran.
The United States and Poland signed a deal Wednesday to place a U.S.
missile defense base just 115 miles from Russia's westernmost fringe.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)—Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Polish
counterpart signed a deal Wednesday to build a U.S. missile defense
base in Poland, an agreement that prompted an infuriated Russia to warn
of a possible attack against the former Soviet satellite.
Rice
dismissed blustery comments from Russian leaders who say Warsaw's
hosting of 10 U.S. interceptor missiles just 115 miles from Russia's
westernmost frontier opens the country up to attack.
Such comments "border on the bizarre frankly," Rice said, speaking to reporters traveling with her in Warsaw.
"When you threaten Poland, you perhaps forget that it is not 1988,"
Rice said. "It's 2008 and the United States has a ... firm treaty
guarantee to defend Poland's territory as if it was the territory of
the United States. So it's probably not wise to throw these threats
around."
The deal, which Washington sought as a way of
defending the U.S. and Europe from a hypothetical threat of
long-distance missiles from Iran, has strained relations between Moscow
and the West. Those ties were already troubled by Russia's invasion of
its former Soviet neighbor, U.S. ally Georgia, earlier this month.
Speaking to reporters traveling with her, Rice said, "the Russians are losing their credibility."
Rice and Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski signed the deal Wednesday morning.
"It is an agreement which will help us to respond to the threats of the 21st century," she said afterward.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the agreement came after tough but friendly negotiations.
"We have achieved our main goals, which means that our country and the United States will be more secure," he said.
After Warsaw and Washington announced the agreement on the deal last
week, top Russian Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn warned that Poland is risking
attack, and possibly a nuclear one, by deploying the American missile
defense system, Russia's Interfax news agency reported.
Poles have been shaken by the threats, but NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop dismissed them Tuesday as "pathetic rhetoric."
"It is unhelpful and it leads nowhere," he told reporters at a NATO meeting in Brussels, Belgium.
Many Poles consider the agreement a form of protection at a time when
Russia's invasion of Georgia has generated alarm throughout Eastern
Europe. Poland is a member of the European Union and NATO, and the deal
is expected to deepen its military partnership with Washington.
Polish President Lech Kaczynski also expressed "great satisfaction" at the outcome of the long months of negotiations.
Poland and the United States spent a year and a half negotiating, and
talks recently had snagged on Poland's demands that the U.S. bolster
Polish security with Patriot missiles in exchange for hosting the
missile defense base.
Washington agreed to do so last week, as Poland invoked the Georgia conflict to strengthen its case.
The Patriots are meant to protect Poland from short-range missiles from neighbors—such as Russia.
The U.S. already has reached an agreement with the government in Prague
to place the second component of the missile defense shield—a radar
tracking system—in the Czech Republic, Poland's southwestern neighbor
and another formerly communist country.
Approval is still needed the Czech and Polish parliaments.
No date has been set for the Polish parliament to consider the
agreement, but it should face no difficulties in Warsaw, where it
enjoys the support of the largest opposition party as well as the
government.
Copyright 2008 The
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Russia warns of response to US missile shield
Aug 20 01:42 PM US/Eastern
date/author end
article start
MOSCOW (AP) - Russia says its response to the further development of a U.S. missile shield in Poland will go beyond diplomacy. Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the U.S. missile shield plans are clearly aimed at weakening Russia.
The U.S. says the missile defense system is aimed at protecting the U.S. and Europe from future attacks from states like Iran.
The United States and Poland signed a deal Wednesday to place a U.S.
missile defense base just 115 miles from Russia's westernmost fringe.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)—Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Polish
counterpart signed a deal Wednesday to build a U.S. missile defense
base in Poland, an agreement that prompted an infuriated Russia to warn
of a possible attack against the former Soviet satellite.
Rice
dismissed blustery comments from Russian leaders who say Warsaw's
hosting of 10 U.S. interceptor missiles just 115 miles from Russia's
westernmost frontier opens the country up to attack.
Such comments "border on the bizarre frankly," Rice said, speaking to reporters traveling with her in Warsaw.
"When you threaten Poland, you perhaps forget that it is not 1988,"
Rice said. "It's 2008 and the United States has a ... firm treaty
guarantee to defend Poland's territory as if it was the territory of
the United States. So it's probably not wise to throw these threats
around."
The deal, which Washington sought as a way of
defending the U.S. and Europe from a hypothetical threat of
long-distance missiles from Iran, has strained relations between Moscow
and the West. Those ties were already troubled by Russia's invasion of
its former Soviet neighbor, U.S. ally Georgia, earlier this month.
Speaking to reporters traveling with her, Rice said, "the Russians are losing their credibility."
Rice and Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski signed the deal Wednesday morning.
"It is an agreement which will help us to respond to the threats of the 21st century," she said afterward.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the agreement came after tough but friendly negotiations.
"We have achieved our main goals, which means that our country and the United States will be more secure," he said.
After Warsaw and Washington announced the agreement on the deal last
week, top Russian Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn warned that Poland is risking
attack, and possibly a nuclear one, by deploying the American missile
defense system, Russia's Interfax news agency reported.
Poles have been shaken by the threats, but NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop dismissed them Tuesday as "pathetic rhetoric."
"It is unhelpful and it leads nowhere," he told reporters at a NATO meeting in Brussels, Belgium.
Many Poles consider the agreement a form of protection at a time when
Russia's invasion of Georgia has generated alarm throughout Eastern
Europe. Poland is a member of the European Union and NATO, and the deal
is expected to deepen its military partnership with Washington.
Polish President Lech Kaczynski also expressed "great satisfaction" at the outcome of the long months of negotiations.
Poland and the United States spent a year and a half negotiating, and
talks recently had snagged on Poland's demands that the U.S. bolster
Polish security with Patriot missiles in exchange for hosting the
missile defense base.
Washington agreed to do so last week, as Poland invoked the Georgia conflict to strengthen its case.
The Patriots are meant to protect Poland from short-range missiles from neighbors—such as Russia.
The U.S. already has reached an agreement with the government in Prague
to place the second component of the missile defense shield—a radar
tracking system—in the Czech Republic, Poland's southwestern neighbor
and another formerly communist country.
Approval is still needed the Czech and Polish parliaments.
No date has been set for the Polish parliament to consider the
agreement, but it should face no difficulties in Warsaw, where it
enjoys the support of the largest opposition party as well as the
government.
Copyright 2008 The
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
article end
