Poland passes bill to station US troops for new missile shield

Feb 12, 2010, 13:04 GMT

Warsaw - Poland's lower house of parliament approved an agreement Friday that specifies conditions for the stationing of US soldiers in Poland as part of revamped plans for a US missile shield.

The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) gives the green light for some 100 US soldiers to be stationed in Poland as part of the shield, which will include Patriot missiles and SM-3s. It passed with 374 votes for, and 34 votes against.

Defence Minister Bogdan Klich said the vote Friday makes it possible for the Patriot missiles to be positioned in Poland soon, as early as March or April, reported the Polish Press Agency PAP.

Klich said there was no reason for Moscow to be concerned regarding the missile shield. Russia has been critical of the US- Polish agreement, which would place the missiles in Morag, a town just 100 kilometres from the Russian border.

Poland and the US signed the deal on December 11 in Warsaw after a delay reportedly caused by US hesitancy to put its soldiers under the jurisdiction of Polish law.

SOFA includes provisions that US soldiers would pay taxes in Poland and come under the jurisdiction of Polish law for any crimes committed outside the military base.

The Patriots will be given to Poland in exchange for US hosting rights of a missile system that was first proposed by the George W Bush administration.

US President Barack Obama announced on September 17 that the US would drop Bush's plans for a long-range system in favor of a short- and medium-range system to counter Iran's ballistic missile programme.