Missile shield on the cheap

Poland will have to bear most of the costs of modernizing its defenses alone, a US official involved in the ongoing missile shield negotiations said last week. The Polish government has been seeking a considerable amount of aid from the US in return for hosting 10 interceptor rockets.

"[The Poles] had very grand dreams of what they wanted," Stephen Mull, the acting assistant US secretary of state for political-military affairs, told Reuters after a news conference.

According to media reports, negotiations on the missile shield have been strained lately. US President George W Bush recently asked Congress for $20 (zł.44.5 million) to modernize Poland's armed forces. The Polish side, meanwhile, had been asking for recompense in billions of dollars.

"What we think is important - rather than coming in with all these high-priced, gleaming things, that you have to really make sure that - they have very limited dollars to spend on defense - that they use them wisely," Mull commented.

According to Mull, American military officials last week offered Poland several options for the modernization of its defenses. He said that Polish officials were prompted to "develop a realistic assessment" of their goals and budget.

The negotiating teams have until mid-July to work out details. Then, Mull said, they would "decide how to go forward."

"But [concerning] defense modernization, [the Poles] have to spend most of the money for it," he concluded.

In response to Mull's comments, Polish President Lech Kaczyński said, "Poland can expect to get a favorable solution from the American side in relation to the building of the missile shield in our country. This is obvious."

Meanwhile, negotiations between the US and the Czech Republic over the second half of the missile shield, a radar station, have nearly concluded. The Czech government approved the scheme last week, but the documentation must be ratified by the Czech Parliament and signed by President Vaclav Klaus.

The Czech and US sides are expected to sign two agreements related to the missile shield this summer.