US anti-missile system Czech Republic 'would threaten Russia'

A US proposal to install part of its missile defence system in former Warsaw Pact nations would be a "clear threat" to Russia, a leading Russian general said today.

Col Gen. Vladimir Popovkin, chief of the Space Forces branch of the military, which is responsible for missile detection, spoke two days after the Czech prime minister said the United States had asked to position a radar base in his country that would be part of the global missile defence system.

“Our analysis shows that that the placement of a radar station in the Czech Republic and an anti-missile position in Poland would create a clear threat for Russia,” the RIA-Novosti and Interfax news agencies quoted him as saying.

The US has been negotiating with Poland and the Czech Republic, both former communist states now in Nato, as it explores setting up missile defence sites in Eastern Europe.

The US request to build only an X-band radar facility in the Czech Republic could indicate Washington is considering putting launchers for anti-missile missiles in Poland.

US efforts to deploy part of a missile defence system in former Soviet satellite states that are now Nato members has drawn repeated opposition from Russia, adding to strains between the two Cold War superpowers.

US officials contend the system could defend Europe against intercontinental missiles fired by states such as Iran and North Korea, but Russian authorities have warned that the military balance in Europe could be at stake and said the development risked a new arms race.

Following the Czech prime minister’s statement on Saturday, Andrei Kokoshin, a former Russian Security Council chief who now heads parliament’s committee for ties with former Soviet bloc nations, warned politicians would recommend "retaliatory measures".