An important message to Russia

The Polish and US government have reached a consensus for the construction of a missile defence shield in Poland and signed an interim agreement in Warsaw yesterday. The online edition of the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza welcomes the move and establishes a connection with the Caucasus conflict. "Contrary to the official version presented by Prime Minister Tusk and the US State Department, the war in Georgia played a key role in accelerating the Polish-American negotiations on the defence shield. It is the war that has prompted Tusk to give the go-ahead for the signing of the agreement. ... And this is a good thing. This agreement is a recognition of the reality of the situation - the US is and must remain Poland's most important ally. In the present situation this move is an important message to the Russians: in the Caucasus you can fulfil your dream of returning to hegemony. But you can forget your second dream: that central Europe remains a strategic empty space. In Georgia we cannot effectively oppose you but central Europe is and always will be part of the West. ... The negotiations between Warsaw and Washington were lengthy and heated and both sides made mistakes. But the result is commendable - above all considering the insecurity of these times."

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