US, Poland sign missile-shield agreement

US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice and her Polish homologue, Radek Sikorsky, signed in the name of the United States and Poland, an agreement for the placement of missile-shield components on Polish territory. The deal comes after 18 months of negotiations, news agencies inform.

According to the agreement, Poland will host, starting in 2012, in an area near the Baltic Sea, 10 missile interceptors able to prevent attacks with long range ballistic missiles. Both the US and the Polish official emphasized on the fact that the missile shield is not a threat for Russia.

The components in Poland, connected to an electronic command center in the Czech Republic, complete a system already active in the US, Greenland and UK. Russia opposes the project and threatens to install missile shield in its former area of influence.

The conflict between Russia and Georgia determined the United States to give in favor of Poland in some negotiation chapters, in order to rush the signing of the deal. This was considered by Moscow as yet another argument proving that the shield is really about Russia.