Rice Meets Polish Counterpart on Missile Defense | Voice of America - English
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met her Polish counterpart, Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, for more talks on a possible Polish role in a U.S. regional missile defense system in Europe.  Rice leaves Washington late Monday on a European mission to conclude a missile defense deal with the Czech Republic.  VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.Secretary Rice met behind closed doors with Foreign Minister Sikorski in a last-minute effort to conclude a deal before her European mission, which U.S.
Secretary Rice met behind closed doors with ForeignMinister Sikorski in a last-minute effort to conclude a deal before herEuropean mission, which U.S. officials at one point hoped would includea stop in Warsaw to sign an accord. The United States wants tostation 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and an associated radarsystem in the Czech Republic to counter what U.S. officials believewill be a long-range missile threat from Iran within a few years. Atentative agreement with the Czech Republic was reached several weeksago and Rice is expected to sign the agreement this week in Prague. Butnegotiations with Poland have been difficult, with the Warsawgovernment pressing for the United States to underwrite a costlyupgrade of the country's air defense system. Last week, seniorU.S. officials said a tentative accord had been reached, but PolishPrime Minister Donald Tusk last Friday said the U.S. offer wasunsatisfactory, although talks would continue. In a talk withreporters, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack was cautious aboutprospects for finalizing an accord during Mr. Sikorski's Washingtonvisit, which will also include talks with Undersecretary of State forArms Control and International Security John Rood. "I do notcomment on close or not close," he said. "othing is done untileverything is done. It is not done. We continue to work on it. Weknow it is a big issue for the Polish government. It is an importantissue for us. So we are devoting the time and energy to try to workthrough any issues that may exist on either side." There havebeen press reports the Bush administration might turn to Lithuania asan alternate site for the interceptors if the Polish talks stalled, andU.S. officials have acknowledged contacts with the Baltic state on theissue. Spokesman McCormack said the administration always has afall-back plan, but said its energies remain focused on the talks withPoland. Opinion polls indicate the proposed U.S. defense plan ispolitically unpopular in Poland and the Czech Republic, partly becauseof strong opposition from Russia, which contends the system wouldundercut its strategic missile deterrent. U.S. officials arguethe 10 interceptors could not possibly threaten Russia's huge missileforce and have offered to cooperate with Moscow on what they depict asa shared threat from Iran or other rogue-state missiles. Rice'sfour-day European trip will take her to the Czech Republic, Bulgariaand Georgia. It will be her first visit to Georgia as Secretary ofState and McCormack said her focus will be on a peaceful resolution oftensions between Georgia and Russia over the separatist Georgianregions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.