Poland Signs Up to Obama Missile Defense Plan

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) adjusts her ear piece as she listens to Polish Foreign Affairs Minister Radoslaw Sikorski (R) during a joint press conference after signing an annex to the Polish-US agreement on missile defense. Photo by EPA/BGNE

The United States and Poland have signed an agreement for the latter's participation in the Obama Administration plan for a missile defense in Europe.

The protocol was inked Saturday in Krakow in the presence Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has already visited Ukraine and is heading also to Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan as part of a five-nation Eastern European tour.

The newly-signed protocol amends the previous agreements for the missile shield in Europe between Poland and the USA as the original plan of the Bush Administration for locating interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic.

The Obama Administration has modified the initial plan to demonstrate that it is directed to protect Europe from short and medium-range missiles fired from the Middle East or Iran. The modification provides for sea-borne US interceptor missiles in the Mediterranean at first, and for potentially locating elements of the missile defense in Bulgaria and Romania subsequently.

Earlier on Saturday, Bulgaria's Defense Minister Anyu Angelov confirmed that Bulgaria will likely host elements of the US missile shield in Europe after 2015.

During the signing of the new US-Polish protocol in Krakow Saturday, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said President Obama's new approach to missile defense is more likely to "be effective" and would protect Poland and the rest of Europe "from a bigger range of threats.“

“The new version is a better one for us," he declared. Clinton has also said that the modified missile defense will be a better way to deal with “evolving missile threats, especially from Iran.”

"This is purely a defensive system. It's not directed at Russia. It is not a threat to Russia. We believe the threats that we all face are common ones," said Clinton.

Sikorski went as far as declaring that Poland is willing to allow Russia to inspect its anti-missile facilities in order to reassure Moscow.

The US has already stationed Patriot anti-missile and anti-aircraft interceptors in Poland. The Patriot missiles are located at a Polish military facility near the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

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