Translated material
Lackluster dialogue
Polish minister ruined his prime minister's trip to Moscow
Hopes for a compromise solution to the problem of deploying elements of the American missile defense system (ABM) in Poland are fading before our eyes . Donald Tusk, who headed the new Polish government in November 2007, has repeatedly emphasized that this issue should be discussed not only with Washington, but also with Moscow. But the other day, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that he had already agreed on everything directly with the Americans. “This looks like a dissonance with respect to Mr. Tusk’s earlier statements,” says Russia’s new permanent representative to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin. “The dialogue with Moscow has ended without, by and large, even having begun.”Minister Sikorsky, while recently visiting the United States, announced that an agreement had been reached with the Americans on the deployment of a missile defense system in Poland. He recalled that “the final decision will be made by the prime minister,” but expressed hope that it will be “positive.” The Polish minister did not hide the fact that he was still discussing with the Americans the possibility of creating a large NATO base on Polish territory. He explained that Warsaw needs this as a member of the NATO bloc, defending the borders of the North Atlantic Alliance. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, after negotiations with her Polish counterpart, once again recalled that, in Washington’s opinion, “several interceptor missiles in Poland and radars in the Czech Republic have no way to weaken the thousands of nuclear warheads that the Russians have, and there are no such intentions.”
The signing of an agreement on the construction of a Polish base for ten American interceptor missiles is possible in the spring. However, it is unlikely that the parties will have time to prepare it by March, when Prime Minister Tusk arrives on a visit to the United States. Most likely, says Sikorsky, the parties will first sign a declaration of intent to deploy a missile defense system.
Moscow still has a chance to influence the head of the cabinet: Tusk will visit the Russian capital on February 7-8. In the meantime, Russia, as Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said yesterday, does not see “reasons explaining the need to deploy a missile defense system” in Poland and the Czech Republic, “except to keep an eye on Russian deterrence systems.”