The World - Poland probably will allow missiles, but expects benefits - President, visiting the Southland, would like military assistance.
Unmoved by protests from Russia or the reservations of many of his countrymen, President Lech Kaczynski is signaling that Poland probably will allow the U.S. to base a missile defense shield in its territory -- but wants something in return.
In an interview with The Times late Tuesday, Kaczynski said Poland would have to reap some tangible benefits from such a deal.
Kaczynski said no final decision had been made about the defense system that Washington says is aimed at protecting Europe and the United States from possible strikes by Iran. But, he said, "we are every much interested
The Polish Parliament must approve installation of 10 interceptor missiles. The plan also calls for a radar center to be set up in the Czech Republic.
A thumbs-up for the missile defense system would solidify Poland's position as a steadfast friend of the United States. Kaczynski described his nation as "probably the most pro-American society in Europe."
But the president's determination to ensure that Poland profits from any agreement shows a greater resolve to focus more on national interests, while gaining greater respect for Poland on the international stage, political analysts said.
Poland is "trying to raise its stature a bit by increasing its assertiveness," said Janusz Bugajski, director of the European Democracies Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a global defense and security policy research institute in Washington. "There's a little more underscoring of national interests regardless of what America's interests are. They have to show that they are getting something for this deal."
Speaking through an interpreter, Kaczynski said Poland would like U.S. military assistance, including access to some military technology.
Poland would like U.S. help in modernizing its Soviet-era military hardware, analysts said, and Warsaw probably wants greater intelligence cooperation with Washington as well.
"The question is," Bugajski said, "will Poland get some specific bilateral security guarantees from the United States" outside the structure of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which Poland joined in 1999.
Russian President Vladimir V. Putin has accused Washington of "pursuing world domination" and has argued that the expansion of U.S. interests in former Soviet bloc nations would threaten Russia's security. The Kremlin has made veiled threats against Poland and the Czech Republic, warning that both countries would fall within range of new Russian missiles if they agreed to the U.S. defense shield project.
