Posted on 02/13/2007 10:54:45 AM PST by lizol
Little opposition in Poland to U.S. missile defense system, premier says
Feb 13 2007, 15:58
WARSAW (AP) - All but one political party has said it supports allowing the United States to place components of a missile defense system in Poland, the prime minister said Tuesday.
Jaroslaw Kaczynski did not say which party had voiced opposition during a meeting Monday of opposition and coalition party leaders discussing Washington's request to put part of the system in Poland, while another part would be in the Czech Republic.
"The representative of only one parliamentary club expressed opposition, and the rest - asking questions and expressing reservations - did not register general opposition," Kaczynski said on state Radio 1.
Kaczynski's coalition government holds a narrow parliamentary majority, thanks to support from at least a dozen independents.
The United States announced last month that it wanted to build a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, basing a radar system in the Czech Republic and a missile interceptor site in Poland.
Officials in both countries said they were willing to start negotiations, but have offered no definitive answer on how receptive they were or when talks could begin.
Critics of placing the missile defense system in Poland fear it could make the country a target for terrorist attacks. Poland's deputy prime minister, Andrzej Lepper, has called for a national referendum on the issue.
Kaczynski said Tuesday that a referendum "makes no sense."
Russia has strongly objected to a U.S. base in Eastern Europe, with President Vladimir Putin expressing serious concerns that it could disturb the balance of power and stoke a new arms race.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates sought to ally Russia's concerns, saying during a security conference in Germany last week that the system was "not directed against Russia; it's not directed at undermining their deterrent."
Poland did not send a high-ranking official to the security conference, prompting government opponents to accuse the coalition of not properly representing Poland's interests.
Earlier last week, Defense Minister Radek Sikorski resigned amid a dispute with the prime minister. His successor, Aleksander Szczyglo, said he could not attend the conference in Germany because the invitation had been in Sikorski's name.
PSL
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