Moscow: US defence system in Poland "unjustified"

Jul 6, 2010, 16:22 GMT

Moscow - Moscow on Tuesday criticized the stationing of a US defence missile shield in Poland as 'unjustified.'

'Unfortunately not enough attention has been paid to our position,' said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, according to the news agency Interfax. 'But we will continue the dialogue on the subject.'

Russia has repeatedly criticized the missile shield as a threat to its security.

Russia saw no danger from Iran which would require the construction of a missile shield, Ryabkov said and demanded a new, coordinated approach to the issue.

During an official visit to Krakow on Saturday, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had offered Moscow a chance to participate in the project, with an eye on the political 'fresh start' that has recently taken place between the two countries.

The US SM-3 missiles are due to be stationed in northern Poland between 2015 and 2018.

Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrey Nesterenko said that Moscow was surprised at Clinton's statement that Moscow was obviously not interested in the missile defence system.

'Rather we are waiting for an answer to our question, who are these missiles in Poland supposed to be protecting us from?' he said.

Russia was indeed interested in a missile defence shield, but cooperation in such a project must be equal, he said.

The defence agreement between the US and Poland was sealed on Saturday and limits itself to the defence of Europe, after US President Barack Obama backtracked on his predecessor George W Bush's plans.

These had envisaged a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic which would also have protected the US from possible Iranian long-range missile attacks.