Washington talking to Warsaw about possible U.S. missile base in Poland

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. and Polish officials are discussing building a base in Poland from which U.S. interceptors could shoot down long-range missiles as part of a global defence network, a Pentagon official said Wednesday.

It would be the first American strategic missile defence site outside U.S. territory, and would be designed to defend all of Europe against intercontinental-range missiles - primarily those launched from the Middle East.

No decision has been made to proceed with a missile defence base in Poland and alternative sites in Europe are a possibility. But the Pentagon official said Poland appears to be the most likely host country for the kind of American military installation that would have been unthinkable before Poland joined NATO in 1999.

The official discussed the matter only on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

The Pentagon has made no public announcement of its discussions with Polish officials, although it has made known its extensive consultations in recent years with NATO allies on the threat posed by ballistic missiles.

On Monday, Poland's new prime minister, Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, said he was opening a public debate on whether to host a U.S. missile defence base.

He did not specifically say Washington was interested in installing ground-based interceptors of the sort that the Pentagon has recently installed in Alaska.

"This is an important issue for Poland, related to our security and to our co-operation with an important ally," Marcinkiewicz said.

He leads a new conservative government in Warsaw that took office on Oct. 31. The previous government had expressed concern that missile defence co-operation with Washington could harm relations with Russia, which had opposed Poland's decision to become a member of NATO.

The U.S. military has no permanent bases in Poland or other Central and Eastern European countries formerly aligned with the Soviet Union. The U.S. does have bases in former Soviet republics in Central Asia such as Kyrgyzstan.

U.S. officials have been discussing with new NATO members Romania and Bulgaria the possibility of basing some U.S. troops there as part of a repositioning of U.S. forces around the world.

U.S. officials have been considering a number of possibilities for extending the American missile defence network to include Europe, although most of the focus has been on defences against short-range missiles.

Long-range missiles are considered an emerging threat, in the view of Bush administration officials, because of the proliferation of technologies that would allow countries such as Iran and possibly Syria or Libya to build extended-range missiles. The threat is especially worrisome when coupled with nuclear warheads.

The current U.S. defence system against long-range missiles is limited mainly to an installation at Fort Greely, Alaska, where at least six missile interceptors are in underground silos, linked to a command and control system. It is designed mainly to shoot down missiles fired at U.S. territory from North Korea, with future expansion planned.

The Pentagon official who discussed the Polish option said that if a missile defence base were built there, it probably would be the only one needed to defend Europe against long-range missiles, although radars, other sensors and interceptors designed to combat shorter range missiles also would be needed for a complete defence.

The official estimated that a site in Poland would not be ready to begin operating before 2010. He offered no estimate on how much it might cost or when U.S. officials were likely to make a decision to proceed. Also undetermined is whether the site would be controlled jointly by U.S. and Polish forces or possibly with a NATO role.

Gary mentioned a video with Chechens cutting off Russian soldier's head. I saw that, quite interesting. If you really want, you may also find videos with Mi-24's attacking Chechen refugees on the road or Russian "soldiers" raping a pregnant Chechen woman and later cutting off and killing her unborn child, when she was still alive but I must warn you that watching these things is not good for mental stability... however they are muslims, so in your case...

Even pro-Russian government in Chechenya admitted that over 150 thousand civilians were killed by Russians.

"If they are soldiers, as you claim that they "heroically defend their children, sisters and mothers," then why are they risking the lives of "their children, sisters and mothers" by hiding among them?"

Do you also think that British soldiers during battle of Britain were risking lives of civilians ?

"I wonder why you don't mention the true innocent Muslims who are dying in the hundred thousands in Sudanese Genocide for just being black and alive, and defenseless."

I would say that In Sudan black Christians are being killed by muslims and the most tragic is that a few battalions of well trained western infantry could stop the killing but does everyone must write in every post about every genocide which is now going on ? There's quite many of them.

Vox is hysterical and falls into senseless name calling.

"We may see same tactics in Iraq. The bandits hide behind backs of thier own civilians so americans inflict casulties civilians.
Then come some liberals like you and same way like you start to cry over thier losses and condemn american tropps like you condemn russian troops here.
We all saw this liberal tactics and easy recognize it. "

Exactly so.

As the US left does it because they hate America, in this case Vox does it because he hates Russia. In the US, the left who care so much for the poor Iraqis dying from the US war somehow did not care about the half a million Iraqis who died for decades under Saddam.

And I said, that Germans justified annexation of Sudetenland with the fact, that it was populated mainly by Germans. And such an annexation was accepted by France and UK in Munich.
So if they took Zaolzie (populated mainly by Poles), that "justification" would fail.==

Exactly lizol:). Then I understood you well after all:). So for germans this justification works on Sudeten region but for poles it works on Tishin(Zaozelie) region. Before same France and Britain and whole world to add:).

But I know, you're going to maintain anyway, that it was Polish-German co-operation.==

Cooperation according dictionary is mutual work for benefits maybe different for each involved party.

I think that this discussion is pointless because we defend Polish point of view and you defend soviet point of view so we just can't agree.==

Greg you do not understand my point. I do NOT defend soviet point of view. I just try to show you and others that soviet policy and tactics during those pre war times was NOTHING different then polish policy and tactics.

I already told you and others many time.
For me Soviet Union of pre-war time run by commie Stalin is NOTHING different then Pulsudskii Poland or Hitler Germany.

I do not defend Soviet Union nor pre-war Poland. Since there BOTH policies brought world toward WW2 and brought many sufferings.
For me: in 1938 3 predators (Germany, Poland, and thank lizol who pointed it, Hungary) ate Checkoslovakia. Then in 1939 1 of those first 3 (Poland) was eaten by 2 stronger predators (Germany and Soviet Union). End of story.

You can't see the difference, because you don't want to, as your anti-Polish prejudice covers your sight.==

Seems to me that for everyone with pro-polish bias (like you and compatriots), the one who do not share your bias looks like with anti-polish prejudice.

But I do not have anti-polish prejudice. I just try to be equal. And I try to show you that "none with out some sin".
And I know polish policy and soviet policy before WW2 was sinned! And NOT only theirs. Because the WW2 happened caused by sinned policies of some countries.

SO if poles go to point fingers and seek for guilty that firstly they need to look thouraughly on themselves since poles are NOT exepmlarary and has no rights to lecture none on moral.

Just admit it and we end it.

Where the f**k I wrote in these words, that I considered this "population issue" as sufficient justification for Poland's action????

Man, discussing with you reminds me of a dog trying to catch his own tail and spinning around himself to do so.

You're just like Stan Tyminski, a very populist Polish politician, emigree from Peru, who was a candidate during presidential election in 1990.
He was famous of avoiding getting into any substantial discussion or debate.

There was a joke about him relating to that:

"During a press conference a journalist is asking Stan Tyminski a question:
- "Mr. Tyminski, what could you say to out viewers about the idea of a flat tax, what's your opinion about it?

- And Tyminski replies: "Oh, yes, Poland is a very beautiful country, however I don't like snow".

So it's more or less like discussing with you.

All of you - yourself, jb6, garyspfc etc. - defend strictly the view, that SU had nothing to do with Russia, that those are 2 completely separate entities.==

Oh lizol.
1. I just defend the fact that SU was born on remnants of broken Russian Empire(RE) by band of international communists who won Civil war against russian national movement. SO russians lost thier empire and submitted to new commie' empire.
2. I defend the fact that "soviet" is NOT "russian" since SU included many people and nations and it wasn't russians who run it (opposite of how it was in RE).
3. I defend the fact that russians did most work to destroy that soviet empire. And if not that work we would never see today free Poland for example. SO some debt of gratude you have to have.

"I would say that In Sudan black Christians are being killed by muslims and the most tragic is that a few battalions of well trained western infantry could stop the killing but does everyone must write in every post about every genocide which is now going on ? There's quite many of them."

In Southern Sudan Christians were being killed. Thanks to US brokered agreement that atrocity is finished. Now Black Muslims in Western Sudan are being killed. Latest estimates are 500,000 with 2 million displaced.

You ask "does everyone must write in every post about every genocide which is now going on," and the answer is of course "No." However since Sudan is the largest in scale, the killing is going on now, and the people are blameless, true innocent civilians, I believe that one is the one to talk about if one really does care about the killing of anyone including Muslims.

"Do you also think that British soldiers during battle of Britain were risking lives of civilians ?"

Please let's not insult the Brits now. The British have never used the tactics the Muslims use. No Western country in the last two centuries (at least) has. We do not use schools, hospitals, Churches to launch attacks. We do not send our children out as suicide bombers or soldiers. We don't start territorial wars of aggression and then cry victim when we lose.

How many wars are going on today? How many are Muslim and were begun by Muslims? Which group uses the tactic of terror and suicide attacks?

"Even pro-Russian government in Chechenya admitted that over 150 thousand civilians were killed by Russians."

Do you judge WW2 by that standard? Do you call the bombing of Dresden and Hiroshima war crimes? I don't. Chechnya is barbaric because the Muslims have made it so.

In Iran leaders have said that it might be worth striking Israel with a nuke because it would destroy Israel and though they would take massive casualties when Israel responds, yet they would survive. That is the attitude one deals with when one fights Muslims. They do not care for their own lives.

It seems to me that the Polish media must be hyping this anti-Russian stuff. Poland has very legitimate historical claims against USSR. But don't hide behind the Burkas of barbarians. It demeans your cause.

Sure I have pro-Polish bias, as I'm a Pole.

And how you explain your obvious pro-Soviet bias? Or anti-Polish (which is the same in the circumstances we've been discusing)?

Because all that you write about alleged Polish sins is nothing but a carbon-copy of Soviet propaganda aimed at Poland.

And if you "do not have anti-polish prejudice", why the heck you show up with this pro-Soviet crap in every thread that relates in any way to Polish-Soviet relations???

Just admit it and we end it.

The only thing I'll admit is, that we actually end it.

Keep spinning.

And how you explain your obvious pro-Soviet bias? Or anti-Polish (which is the same in the circumstances we've been discusing)?==

As I told already that everyone who do not share your pro-polish bias seems anti-polish for YOU. I'm different and not pro-polish hence I'm anti-polish.
"Who are not with us hence against us" J.Stalin.

Tell it again. For me poliush policy in pre-war time are no different from soviet. One difference so. Poland was weaker so couldn't eat but was eaten.

You really ought to calm yourself down.

"By the way, you're the most disgusting man I ever met!"

Worse than Russian killers of Chechens?

You do see that you become not believable when your judgement is so clearly irrational. Surely there are more disgusting than I?

I thought you foreswore responding to me anymore in Post #366? Couldn't resist "the most disgusting man [you] I ever met, huh?" My charms are irresistable, I know.

Though I am "disgusting" I do have a basis for comparing the way Muslim terror operates in Iraq, Chechnya and the world over. Here is one comparison.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Since at least 2000, there has been a gradual progression of suicide attacks conducted by Muslim women in new theaters of operation, including Uzbekistan, Egypt, and more recently, Iraq [2]. The attack in Talafar, northern Iraq, by a female suicide bomber came as a surprise, but was predictable. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the latest coup de main at an army recruitment center on September 28, 2005 by a “blessed sister.” The Iraqi woman stood among job applicants before detonating; a similar tactic was used by women in the Irish Republican Army, who carried bombs beneath their clothing feigning pregnancy or wheeling weapons in baby carriages. The attack in late September was not the first by an Iraqi woman; in April 2003, two women, one pretending to be pregnant, blew up a car at a coalition checkpoint, killing three soldiers [3]. Although attacks by women in Iraq are still a relatively new trend, women will likely play a wider role in operations where jihad mobilizes an entire population against a clear aggressor. That leaves Iraq vulnerable to attacks by female suicide bombers in the near future.

http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369824

Q: Do women ever become suicide bombers?

A. Yes. Women have carried out around one-third of the LTTE’s suicide attacks in Sri Lanka and two-thirds of the PKK’s in Turkey. Women bombers in Chechnya, known as the "Black Widows," have been particularly effective. All of the groups, along with the Syrian Socialist Nationalist Party, have used seemingly pregnant women to get past security checks on the way to their targets. In January 2002, Palestinian secular groups began using women bombers; within a year, the militant Islamic groups jumped on the bandwagon. Al Qaeda has yet to use women although it has established a new website (Al Khansa) intended to mobilize and encourage female participation.

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/publicity/bloomqa.pdf

"Now Black Muslims in Western Sudan are being killed. Latest estimates are 500,000 with 2 million displaced."

I admit, that's a new fact for me.

"You ask "does everyone must write in every post about every genocide which is now going on," and the answer is of course "No." However since Sudan is the largest in scale, the killing is going on now, and the people are blameless, true innocent civilians, I believe that one is the one to talk about"

Genocide in Sudan should be stopped by international military intervention, If you agree with me then there is not need to talk about that anymore.

"We do not send our children out as suicide bombers or soldiers."

Actually in Poland children often were soldiers.

"Do you call the bombing of Dresden and Hiroshima war crimes? I don't."

No, I don't either but that, especially in case of Hiroshima was lesser evil, which was necessary in those conditions, I don't think that cutting off unborn children out of Chechen women is really necessary.

"It seems to me that the Polish media must be hyping this anti-Russian stuff."

Unfortunately Polish media don't give a damn about Chechenya.

"But don't hide behind the Burkas of barbarians."

Which barbarians ? 50 thousand killed Chechen children ?

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