NATO backs US missile shield over Russian protest
By PAUL AMES, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
NATO foreign ministers on Wednesday affirmed their support for U.S. plans to install anti-missile defenses in Europe despite Russia’s strong opposition.
The ministers said the planned U.S. defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic will make a “substantial contribution” to protecting allies from the threat of long-range ballistic missiles.
Russia has vehemently opposed the deployment, threatening to respond by placing short-range missiles in its westernmost region, Kaliningrad, which borders Poland. The U.S. insists the defenses are aimed at potential attack from Iran and pose no threat to Russia’s ballistic arsenal.
All 26 NATO allies signed the statement backing the deployment of interceptor missiles in Poland and an advanced radar station in the Czech Republic. …
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/12/03/international/i034741S93.DTL
