Polish President Lech Kaczynski (left) and Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus at a news conference in Trakai, Lithuania, June 16, 2008.
Photo: Reuters
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No, Lithuania Won’t Take the Missiles
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry has denied reports that Vilnius is in negotiations with Washington over the placement of elements of the U.S. missile defense system on Lithuanian territory. “Lithuania is not conducting negotiations on the placement of the missile defense system on its territory,” Violetta Gaizauskaite, head of the information and public relations department of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry told local LTV television. She added that Lithuania “assesses the possibility of the placement of the missile defense system in Poland positively.”
On Tuesday, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister and chief missile negotiator Witold Waszczykowski stated that the U.S. had entered into negotiations with Lithuania on Lithuanian initiative on the placement of elements of the defense system in that country should negotiations with Poland fail. Official U.S. State Department representative Tom Casey told journalists that negotiations with Poland should soon be concluded and no alternatives are needed for the placement of U.S. interceptor missiles.
The U.S. plans to place ten interceptor missiles in Poland and the radar equipment for the system in the Czech Republic as defense against the threat posed by Iran. Russia is concerned that the system could be a threat to its security, however. Warsaw is expecting U.S. aid for modernizing its army in return. Warsaw has expressed particular interest in obtaining Patriot PAC-3, THAAD or AMRAAM short- or medium-range missile complexes.
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