POLAND/ FILE: Polish political leaders meet to discuss position on US missle shield system

The Polish prime minister has met with leaders of all political parties to discuss a plan to host elements of a United States anti-missile shield. The proposal has come under criticism in both Poland and the Czech Republic. There has been strong debate throughout Poland as to whether the country should allow itself to play host to an element of a US missile system and on Monday (February 12) the prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski called a meeting of political leaders to discuss the issue. The United States is investing billions of dollars in the Missile Defence Initiative system (MDI), which would combine long-range radars and ballistic rockets to detect and shoot down missiles carrying nuclear, bacteriological or chemical warheads. Under the U.S proposals, Poland could be a base for underground rocket silos and the Czech Republic would host the radar system. The plan has annoyed Russia which believes it would damage the military balance in the world. In a speech on Saturday (February 10) President Vladimir Putin criticised the United States of making the world a more dangerous place by pursuing policies aimed at making the nation a single master. Analysts say Putin, whose speech according to one U.S senator was a reminder of the Cold War, criticised the plan. The system has critics within Poland as well. Strategic analyst and author of a report criticising Poland's participation in the system, Roman Kuzniar, says that it can bring Poland more dangers and no profits. "It can produce one day also general consequences to the Polish national security because the Polish element of the missile defence might become, one day, subject to the hostile missile attack. Let's say a country which is subject to the American intervention may simply in retaliation begin with the destruction of the Polish element (of the system)," said Kuzniar. He also pointed out the fact that Poland will not have any influence on decisions about the use of the system. "To have troops is one thing and to have bases which can be part of offensive, pre-emptive military operation Iraq like operation without our consent, without our knowledge even. It's a bad thing, it's a totally different thing," Kuzniar said. Washington justifies the move as a defence against possible attacks from Iran or North Korea, but Putin says only Russia has the long-range missiles the system is designed to counter. If built the site would be the biggest element of a MDI shield outside the United States. Poland's opposition parties criticised the government for its handling of negotiations with the U.S and said a public debate should be held on that issue. The conservatives' coalition partner, the leftist Self-Defence said that the decision should be the subject of a referendum.

ITN Source | February 13, 2007

Tags:. .damage. .profits. .iran. .billions. .throughout