Lavrov to visit Poland amid renewed Russian threats (Roundup)

Sep 10, 2008, 13:07 GMT

Moscow - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is due to meet with his Polish counterpart on Thursday amid high tension over deploying a US missile shield and renewed threats from Moscow.

Lavrov is scheduled to meet with Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski to discuss Russia's recent conflict in Georgia and an upcoming meeting of a Polish-Russian committee on strategic cooperation.

Lavrov will also meet with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk during his day-long visit, the Polish Foreign Ministry said.

The visit comes as Polish-Russian tensions rise over Russia's recent conflict in Georgia and a US missile shield deal.

The commander of Russia's strategic missile forces reiterated threats on Tuesday that Moscow could re-target rockets at the US missile defence objects if they are deployed in Eastern Europe.

Poland signed a deal with the US last month to host 10 interceptor missiles on its soil in exchange for military aid. Moscow opposes the US missile shield as a threat to its nuclear deterrent, despite assurances from Washington the system is for protection against 'rogue states' like Iran.

Colonel General Nikolai Solovtsov said on Tuesday that 'I cannot rule out that ... our ICBMs could in the future target both the missile defence facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic.'

Poland also drew Russia's anger by leading several former eastern bloc countries in calling for a tough European Union (EU) stance on Russia's brief but bloody conflict with Georgia.

Polish President Lech Kaczynski emerged as Georgia's strongest supporter in the conflict over two Georgian breakaway regions.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev recently recognized the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent, defying the pro-Georgian EU and US.