Posted on 02/23/2008 12:59:51 PM PST by Grzegorz 246
WARSAW, Poland - Poland will only sign up to accept a U.S. missile defence base if Washington gives significant help to modernizing Poland's military, the Polish defence minister said in comments published Saturday.
"As long as we cannot sign an agreement about a satisfactory contribution by the Americans to the modernization of our armed forces, we can't talk about our agreeing to an American installation on our territory," Bogdan Klich was quoted as saying in an interview with the daily Polska.
Washington wants to place 10 missile defence interceptors in Poland and a radar system in neighbouring Czech Republic as part of a global system it says is necessary to protect the United States and Europe against future attacks from Iran.
Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said in Washington three weeks ago that Poland and the United States had reached an agreement in principle after he received assurances of U.S. help for Poland's short-to medium-range air defences.
The two sides did not elaborate, and it remained unclear whether the United States had made specific promises to provide air defence systems. Polish officials have pressed for Patriot or THAAD missiles.
Klich reiterated that Poland's main expectations concerning U.S. aid are tied to air defence, but added that Warsaw has also identified 17 areas where its military needs an upgrade.
"I believe that in this range of possibilities the Americans have a chance to find somewhere" to help, Klich was quoted as saying. Negotiations on the missile shield site and the eventual U.S. role in strengthening Poland's military continue and "must end at the same time," he added.
He also acknowledged that new threats may emerge if Warsaw agrees to accept the 10 interceptors, but said Poland would benefit from being tied into the U.S. defence system.
"You don't generally mess with the strong, but the weak you can give a kick to," Klich was quoted as saying. "If you stand by the strong, it pays off. And that would be the positive result of the American presence in Poland."
Russia strongly opposes the prospect of U.S. installations in a region that it controlled during the Cold War and has threatened to attack the bases, causing deep anxiety in Poland.
The United States and Poland opened negotiations early last year on the base. Klich declined to give a date for a possible final deal.
Um... those warheads would most likely be vectoring for U.S. cities. I don't blame the Poles for negotiating for something in return. They are very friendly to the U.S. - but they will always start high. Never offer your compromise as a start to negotiations.
While I think a site in Poland would be a win-win for both countries, if the price is too high we should call the bluff and start implementation of the sea-launch option.
Poland made the mistake 70 years ago thinking that Britain and France had her back, they won’t make that same mistake again.
You are right - and Roosevelt knew that Poland would fall into Stalin's iron grip. Many historians believe that FDR's health was failing so badly at the time that he was unable to prevent it. War weariness was a factor also.
Yes, but as I understand it, the interception can only occur through certain windows of opportunity. As GWB has explained to Putin, some locations for the defense are far more desireable than others. My understanding is that Poland is among the best to intercept launches from inside Russia and some of the old Soviet sites.
They want to put their snout in the US trough.
Bush wants to give 50 BILLION! to Africa for AIDS; Poland just wants to pillage the treasury before the US goes belly up.
I wonder if a President Obama would (abandon NATO)?
Yeah, but we're going to be giving it to the Poles AND the Palestinians and Egyptians and the Iraqis...and the Czechs and the Ukranians and on and on and on.
Doubtful. Russian missiles targeting the U.S. will come over the pole. That's always been the shortest distance. Anything headed west from Russia is most likely headed for Europe.
Probably not. Democrats love useless and expensive programs.
Presumably, you are also one of those Americans who believes all those ‘forn bases are there for the benefit of the host country, courtesy of the limitless benevolence and totally selfless impulses of good old Uncle Sam. Actually, their primary reason is because it is in America’s strategic interest to have a base there. Any benefits for the host country are primarily economic rather than military.
Placing these missile sites doesn’t protect the host country, it gives the continental US more time to respond to a threat to her own territory. It does F all for the host country except make them a primary target for an initital nuclear strike to take out the shield .....
“Why don’t we let Western European countries, which Poland would so much like to have a strong relationship with, convince Poland to do this voluntarily?”
And which Western European countries would that be ?
End NATO, you are so wrong. Get rid of the U.N. is more like it.
We owe Poland and they have been great allies to us. We gave their country to the Russians after WWII, ever heard of the Warsaw Pact?
We want missiles there and they have legitimate concerns. They need to be able to handle them. They are our friends, not our enemies and unlike any other country in Europe.
I think this is called a “shakedown” by our criminal friends. Let them pound sand.
*Poland* is shaking us down? You can’t be serious.
I’ll let you protect me from destruction if you buy me a shiny new car. Why can’t we just leave that quagmire called Europe?
I wasn't aware we were trying to intercept "Russian" launched missiles. I thought the worry was Iranian missiles aimed at Europe and/or US territory.
I believe Putin's complaint is that we could launch offensive missiles against Russia from these sites - which holds no water since they are purely defensive missiles.
Hopefully, with Russia's resurgence as a protagonist, these Polish based missiles could be used to stop Russian missiles launched against the US in the boost phase - but I don't believe that any US military entity is willing to acknowledge that capability - or if it exists. Maybe the NY Times will.
If they don't want to help, is there any reason the shield actually needs to include Europe?
“Poland, like most Eastern European countries, would love to be accepted into the “European community” by countries like France, Germany, the UK, Belgium, etc.”
Well, most of these countries joined EU 4 years ago and don’t have to be accepted into anything anymore. Besides most of European countries don’t want the shield in Europe.
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