The United States is stepping up efforts to reach an agreement with some countries in eastern Europe on its plan to deploy a missile defence shield, the Austria Press Agency reported Friday.

The U.S. government had began to officially discuss with Poland and the Czech Republic the details of the missile defense shield plan, Mark Pekala, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, said in Vienna Friday.

Meanwhile, in response to Russia's concerns over the proposals, Pekala told reporters that the defence shield would not harm Russia's national security.

According to a statement by Pekala, the United States plans to set up 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic before 2010. Pekala said the project is aimed at protecting the U.S. and its allies from possible air strikes by Iran.

During his two-day visit to Vienna, Pekala planned to meet ambassadors of the 56-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in a bid to rally support for the missile defense plan.

Russia continues to voice strong objections to the plan, as "it would threaten the security of Russia because the systems are so close to Russian border."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the project would also harm cooperation and cause more disagreements between Washington and Moscow in the UN Security Council and possibly even NATO.

Source: Xinhua