Austria clarified Wednesday its position on the U.S. anti-missile system with its Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik saying that Austria was neither the 51st U.S. state nor a branch of Russia.
"Austria is not the 51st U.S. state, but also not a branch of Russia," Plassnik said in a statement.
Plassnik's remarks came amid heated media discussions about the country's position sparked by Defense Minister Norbert Darabos, whose recent comments were widely regarded as an opposition to the U.S. building of such a planned shield.
Darabos told a newspaper that he did not see a credible threat justifying the building of the anti-missile system and called for a compromise between the United States and Russia on the issue.
The United States plans to deploy 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic to help guard against a potential threat from Iran.
Plassnik said she was not criticizing Darabos, but that his comments needed clarification.
Darabos, however, continued to describe the U.S. plans as a "provocation" late Wednesday, but called himself "defense minister of a neutral nation."
"I stand firm on this issue because, simply, it's an issue that also involves Austrian interests and, above all, European interests," Darabos said in an interview with Austrian television.
Source: Xinhua
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