Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Monday that his meeting with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried "was another step bringing Poland and the U.S. closer in their opinions on an anti-missile shield."
"This was a good meeting which brought closer our positions on the shield," Polish news agency PAP quoted Sikorski as saying.
Fried, who came to Warsaw to attend the funeral of Professor Bronislaw Geremek, said his talk with Sikorski was good. "Our intention is to reach further progress," he said.
Answering whether it was true that Polish-U.S. talks allegedly reached a deadlock, Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Piotr Paszkowski said Monday's meeting was a proof that there was will to continue talks.
The Polish-U.S. commission for strategic cooperation would meet on Wednesday, Paszkowski added.
Paszkowski denied speculations that Sikorski was prolonging shield talks as he wanted to conclude the deal after the U.S. presidential election in November.
"Sikorski does not have any intention to wait for the next U.S. administration," Paszkowski said, adding that Poland hoped to conclude the negotiations as soon as possible when the two sides could sign a final agreement.
Washington plans to install a base for 10 interceptor missiles in northern Poland allegedly to protect itself and its European allies from possible future attacks from Iran. Talks opened at the start of last year but later became bogged down over Polish demands for more military aid.
Warsaw has been lobbying Washington to provide a THAAD or Patriot-type air defense system in exchange for a Polish green light for hosting the silos.
Russia objects the anti-missile shield plan, saying it will threaten Russian national security. Moscow has warned that it will target its missiles at the system if it is deployed in Poland.
Source:Xinhua
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