By RIA Novosti
Warsaw : Poland has said it is ready to talk with Russia and Washington over deployment of elements of a proposed US missile shield in the east European country.
“We appreciate that Russia wants to hold talks on the possible deployment of the US missile shield in Poland,” Deputy Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said, adding that Warsaw “is also ready to discuss the issue”.
During a farewell summit Sunday in southern Russia’s Black Sea resort Sochi, US President George W. Bush and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin once again failed to overcome their differences on the US missile defence, but agreed to continue negotiations.
Waszczykowski reiterated its stand that permanent Russian access to the proposed missile site in Poland was “out of the question”.
Russia views a planned US missile base in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic as a direct threat to its security and has rejected Washington’s assurances that they were designed as protection against Iran and other Middle East states.
At a press conference after the meeting between the two heads of state, Putin said the missile shield was still “one of the most difficult issues” between the two sides, but noted that there had been “some positive progress” during the talks.
Bush in turn stressed that the missile shield will be purely defensive.
He said: “Obviously we’ve got a lot of work to do to convince the experts that the system is not aimed at Russia… the vision about having a global system is something I strongly support.”