France calls for dialogue on deployment of U.S. anti-missile shield in Europe

France on Thursday called for dialogue in order to "clearly understand" the implications of deploying an American anti-missile shield in Europe.

"Considering the importance of this project and its eventual repercussions, dialogue is needed in order to arrive at a clear understanding of its implications," French Foreign Ministry spokesman Denis Simonneau said.

"This project having raised the concerns of the Russian authorities, it is important that the United States and Russia enter into negotiations in order to dispel any misunderstandings," the spokesman added.

The setting up of sites for the deployment of an American anti- missile shield in Poland and Czech Republic is essentially a matter for the U.S. and these two countries. This is a "bilateral agreement" and not a project involving either the European Union ( EU) or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Simonneau said.

The U.S. in January proposed installing parts of its anti- missile shield in central Europe, including some interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic. The move has drawn sharp criticism from Russia, which warned it could trigger arms race.

Source: Xinhua