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US Missile Shields in Poland Targeted at Not Russia, but Iran: Experts

Politics Materials 18 August 2008 18:18 (UTC +04:00)

Azerbaijan, Baku, 18 August / Trend corr. G.Ahmedova, E.Tariverdiyeva / Moscow states that the US missile defense system in Poland is directed against Russia, although experts say that the key target of the US missile shield is Iran.

"The missile defense system, which the United States is going to deploy in Poland, is directed against Iran. It cannot be directed against Russia, because it is technically impossible," Pavel Felgenhauer, Moscow's leading military expert said to Trend by telephone.  

The Poland Foreign Ministry initialed agreement with the United States to deploy the US missile defense system in Poland. Thus, difficult negotiations between Warsaw and Washington on this problem ended effectively.

"Deployment of new forces of missile shields in Europe targets at Russia and the relevant moment has been chosen for it," President Medvedev said at a joint news conference between the Russian President and the German chancellor in Sochi on 15 August, Vesti TV channel reported.

According to Felgenhauer, the Russian military expert, it is a military technical fact that these interceptors cannot be directed against Russia.

"However, it became strong political contradiction between Russia and West," Felgenhauer said

According to expert, it is the anxiety by the Russian policy. Besides interceptors, Patriot batteries, which the United States and Poland agreed on, will be brought to Poland, he said.

"They also have the same missions with the missile shields and will protect Poland from possible Russian attack," Felgenhauer said.

According to the expert, inceptors, as others, cannot attack Russia, because they are of defensive character.

According to Robin Shepherd, the UK expert, the missile defense system is not directed against Russia. After Russia's actions in Georgia it is difficult to blame a country like Poland for drawing itself as close as possible to the United States, he said.

Western, and especially American, strategists do not view Russia as an existential threat, the expert believes.

"They do not believe that Russia will attempt to invade Europe or to use weapons of mass destruction against it," Shepherd, the expert on Europe of Chatham House told Trend from London.

As to Iran, Shepherd believes that the US strategists have a very different view of Iran, where a fanatical Islamist leadership is attempting to acquire nuclear weapons.

The UK expert is sure that the Russians are aware of it and their protests are merely designed for domestic consumption in Russia.

"In the Russian protests, there is a profound sense of humiliation at the decline in Russian power following the collapse of the Soviet Union," Shepherd said.

So far, the United States has agreed with Czech Republic and Israel on installation of the missile defense system.


The correspondent can be contacted at - [email protected]

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