General says he has no objection to Poland hosting missile defense system

Chief of the general staff, Czeslaw Piatas, told Polish journalists in Brussels yesterday that he has no objection to anti-missile facilities being established in Poland as part of the US national missile defense (NMD) system. Piatas, who was taking part in a session of the NATO Military Committee, also stated that it is essential to "agree on the places that are most likely to be attacked by the enemy". He added, however, "The final decisions are up to the government, not the army." So far Poland has not expressed its support for NMD, which is being strenuously advocated by US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Other countries have objected to the creation of the system, claiming that it is too expensive and its effectiveness is uncertain. In addition, deploying the system risks harming NATO's relations with Russia. According to Piatas, if Poland decides to support the system it could also back it financially. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 4) A.Z.