Poland will wait patiently for Obama's missile support

Poland's foreign minister said on Wednesday that he's trying to determine President-elect Barack Obama's stand on the US missile defense shield in Europe while waiting patiently for Obama's administration to make up their mind.

FM Radosław Sikorski will meet with Democrats this week, including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday. "We will tread carefully and wait until the new administration makes its decision," Sikorski said. "We think that this transition time is important for our interests because we signed with the current administration an agreement on missile defense and obviously we want to know where the wind is blowing on that."

Poland and the CzechRepublic have agreed to station elements of the US missile defense shield, with Poland basing 10 interceptor missiles on its soil. However, neither parliament has ratified the plan.

The new plan has also strained relations with Russia, with Moscow threatening to place short-range missile close to Poland's border. Sikorski has said that Poland will offer new confidence-building proposals to Russia after Moscow rejected US suggestion which were aimed at easing some tensions. "We will shortly put forward written proposals for confidence-building measures related to missile defense, on the basis of transparency and reciprocity," Sikorski said.

The project ultimately depends on the new administration and whether they will go ahead with it, with Obama stating that the project must be "pragmatic and cost-effective" and its technologies must be proven. (AO)

Sources: PAP, Reuters