No decision yet on missile defense

The United States and Poland have completed talks on a missile defense installation, but Polish leaders have yet to decide whether to accept a base, the country’s chief negotiator said Wednesday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said he and John Rood, the U.S. undersecretary for arms control and international security, had ended their negotiations on Washington’s proposal to place 10 missile interceptors in Poland after almost 18 months of meetings.

He said the results had been given to Poland’s prime minister and foreign minister, who “now have to make a political decision -- yes or no.”

There was no immediate comment from Prime Minister Donald Tusk or Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the negotiations had “pretty much concluded, but there’s no deal yet.” He would not provide details about any potential U.S. offer, nor would he say when Washington expected an answer from the Poles.

The missile interceptor site would be linked to a missile tracking radar that Washington wants to place in the Czech Republic.

Washington says the entire system would protect Europe from possible missile attacks from the Middle East.

Talks with Poland had bogged down, however, over Polish demands for billions of dollars in U.S. military aid. Most Poles strongly oppose the base.

Russia is staunchly opposed to the U.S. plans, arguing that U.S. military installations in former Soviet satellites so close to its borders would pose a threat to Russian security. Moscow has threatened to aim its own missiles at any eventual base in Poland or the Czech Republic.

The United States maintains that the plan poses no threat to the Kremlin’s vast nuclear arsenal, and instead is aimed at thwarting possible attacks from Iran.