US President George W. Bush and his Polish counterpart Lech Kaczynski said Friday in Poland's northern port of Gdansk that the planned US anti-missile system is not against Russia.
Bush told reporters after the meeting with Kaczynski that the U.S. anti-missile system would "raise the security of Poland and the entire continent" and would not endanger Russia.
"We want to cooperate with Russia in this field," Bush added.
Kaczynski said the missile defense system is a plan that fosters stability and defense and such defense is needed to stave off "irresponsible actions."
There are no aggressive intentions involved in this defense system, the Polish president added.
"No U.S. and Polish plans are directed against the interests of Russia which can feel completely secure," Polish PAP news agency quoted Kaczynski as saying.
On Jan. 20, the United States proposed installing parts of its anti-missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, a move strongly opposed by Russia, which warned that the project could trigger a new arms race.
The Russian president changed his tune at the G8 summit in Heiligendamm. Putin proposed that the United States and Russia work together to set up the defensive system, but suggested that it should be based at a Russian radar base in Azerbaijan instead of in central Europe.
Putin on Friday suggested Turkey or Iraq as possible sites for the interceptor missiles -- not Poland.
(Xinhua News Agency June 9, 2007)
