Former Defence Minister criticises US missile defence system

The US government wants to set up a military base for its missile defence shield in northwest Poland, allegedly in order to protect Europe against attacks from Iran and North Korea. Radoslaw Sikorski, Polish Defence Minster until the beginning of last February, has heavily criticised the US plan. The newspaper quotes Sikorski's contribution at a forum on the subject: "The system proposed to Poland will be an American system for the defence of the US. I'm no fan of the regime in Tehran, but Poland maintains diplomatic relations with Iran and we're not expecting any Iranian missiles here in Warsaw. Therefore, what we're talking about here is a decision that would be a very generous gesture by Poland to the US. People are debating whether making such a gesture is worthwhile. It seems to me that this word is inappropriate. No amount of money can make it worthwhile for Poland to put its capital or even a missile defence base in jeopardy. So let's stop talking about whether it's worthwhile or not and start talking about whether it will boost security or increase the risk."

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