Posted on 11/01/2007 1:09:55 PM PDT by lizol
Lawmakers plan to cut some European shield funds
Thu Nov 1, 2007 3:20pm EDT
By Richard Cowan and Kristin Roberts
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers will cut $85 million from a military spending bill meant to start construction on a European missile shield that Moscow opposes, a congressional aide said on Thursday.
Democratic and Republican negotiators in the House and Senate agreed to provide money for the missiles, parts and radar but not the construction of the sites in Poland and the Czech Republic, the House of Representatives Democratic aide said.
The fiscal 2008 spending bill still must go through several steps in Congress before landing on President George W. Bush's desk. Rep. John Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who chairs a House panel that oversees defense spending, told Reuters the bill could be debated next week on the House floor.
"The U.S. does not have a basic agreement with the European governments over the complete details of this program. So given these circumstances, the conferees cut $85 million from the missile field construction," the aide said.
The Bush administration wants to place 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic to counter what it says are potential missile threats from Iran and North Korea.
The shield would cost about $3.5 billion, and Bush asked Congress for $310 million this year.
Washington has not yet secured Poland's or the Czech Republic's agreement on the plans.
Moscow also opposes the project, saying the system would threaten Russian security. Despite a series of talks this year, Russia and the United States appear no closer to agreement on the issue.
The Pentagon on Thursday urged Congress to fund the program to send a signal to Russia that Washington is serious about the European shield.
"Funding this sends a signal to the Poles and the Czechs, who we wish to partner with, that we are serious about this and it sends an equal signal to the Russians that we're serious about this," said Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell.
Under current plans, U.S. defense officials say the European system could be fully operational by 2013.
"We are of the belief that continued funding of missile defense is essential towards achieving our policy objective, which is deploying this system," Morrell said.
"Any interruption in funding would impede that and would strip us of much needed leverage in dealing not just with those that we're negotiating with but also in dealing with the Russians."
Great...so we slow down the deployment, meanwhile Iran goes full steam ahead towards getting a nuke.
Sadly, no one will get it until Iran uses one against US and/or Western targets.
Democratic and Republican negotiators in the House and Senate agreed to provide money for the missiles, parts and radar but not the construction of the sites in Poland and the Czech Republic, the House of Representatives Democratic aide said.Good. Our Chinese-backed dollars should be only spent on domestic boondoggle interests, not foreign ones.
Back to the cold war. Moscow opposes it. Democrats oppose it.
The House doing the bidding of Moscow? Who would have ever thought it!!!
And while we are at it, we should bring the troops home NOW......from every base in Europe where we have had them for decades.
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