By RIA Novosti,
Warsaw : Poland would agree only to regular inspections by Russian military experts at a planned US anti-missile base in the north of the country, but oppose their permanent presence, the foreign ministry has said.
Ministry’s spokesman Piotr Paszkowski said Tuesday that Warsaw would never allow the permanent presence of Russian military personnel at the base.
Poland and the US have been engaged in protracted talks over Washington’s request to place 10 interceptor missiles in Poland as part of a missile shield for Europe and North America against possible attacks from “rogue states”, including Iran.
The Pentagon’s plans continue to be a major bone of contention in relations between the US and Russia, which considers the project a threat to its national security.
Washington has proposed a range of measures to allay Russian concerns, including regular inspections of the base in Poland by Russian military experts.
However, Russia insists on the permanent deployment of Russian personnel at the proposed facilities in Poland.
“We may consider other ways of ensuring regular access for the (Russian) inspectors, including remote video monitoring,” Paszkowski said.