POLAND: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets Polish President Lech Kaczynski on planned US anti missle system in central Europe

Russia will take into account a planned U.S anti-missile defence system in central Europe when it is creating its future defence policy, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday (October 5). Polish officials had sought to reassure Russia during Lavrov's visit to Warsaw that the defence shield, which could be built on Polish or Czech soil, was no threat to Moscow's interests. But Lavrov said he remained concerned about the multi-billion dollar sites location--in Russia's former sphere of influence. The United States is investing tens of billions of dollars to develop the Missile Defence Initiative (MDI), which would use rockets to shoot down ballistic missiles that could carry nuclear, chemical or bacteriological warheads. It is considering placing its biggest site outside the United States and is in talks with Poland and the Czech Republic about the location. He also said that it was still unclear whether such a shield would include only radar or also missile interceptors - a large underground silo from where long-range missiles would be launched to intercept and destroy incoming rockets. Diplomatic sources said however that Russia would not oppose a limited missile shield aimed at proliferators like North Korea or Iran. They say that its protest is based on a fear that such a shield could be capable of protecting the United States against Moscow's nuclear deterrent and curb the country's influence. Russia, Poland's overlord during Soviet times, frowned on Poland's joining NATO and the European Union and sees Warsaw's strong alliance with Washington as a threat to its interests. Relations between the countries have deteriorated after Poland backed the "Orange Revolution" in Ukraine, which helped bring to power a pro-Western government. Poland, a country almost entirely relying on Russian energy supplies, is upset about a German-Russian deal to build a gas pipeline that effectively by-passes its territory. Lavrov said his country would not pull back from the project and assured that it would not affect gas supplies to Poland. Analysts said that Lavrov's visit was a first step towards improving relations between Poland and its biggest neighbour but real change could only occur after a meeting of the presidents. Kaczynski has so far refused to visit Russia and diplomats on both sides are working to arrange a meeting on neutral soil.

ITN Source | October 6, 2006

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