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Czech Republic, Poland Willing to Accept U.S. Missiles
Czech Republic and Poland have agreed to accept an offer to host parts of the U.S. anti-missile defense system on their territories, the DefenseNews.com news agency reported Tuesday.
Poland would host a battery of up to 10 ground-based ballistic rockets while Czech Republic would be the site for an advanced radar system.
The U.S. missile shield is not aimed against Russia or other “normal” countries, Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said at a news conference on Tuesday.
The RIA Novosti news agency quoted Jaroslaw Kaczynski as saying that the deployment of U.S. military bases in the country will ensure that Poland will cede from Russia’s influence. “Following the deployment of a missile defense base here, the chances of such undue influence will be greatly reduced for at least several decades,” the Polish prime minister told the reporters.
Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg accused Moscow of blackmailing in the U.S. defense system issue on its territory. “The Czechs will now think the shield is even more necessary,” Mr. Schwarzenberg said, the Reuters news agency reported.
Russia earlier said it may consider installing medium-range ballistic missiles in a region neighboring Poland if the United States persists in its plans to deploy the anti-missile system in Europe.
www.kommersant.com
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