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Biden wins support for new US missile defence plan
2009-10-22
PRAGUE (AFP) - US Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Prague Thursday on the last leg of his tour of three ex-communist NATO allies to pitch a new US missile defence plan, after winning backing from Poland and Romania. Biden, who flew in from Romania, will meet with Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer, President Vaclav Klaus as well as Czech politicians and business leaders on Friday. The new US anti-missile system is expected to top Biden's agenda with Czech leaders after he secured support for the plans in Poland on Wednesday as well as in Romania. In Prague, Biden is also expected to discuss US investment in the Czech Republic with local businesses. Czech media said he may lobby in favour of US power group Westinghouse to boost its chances to complete the Czech nuclear plant Temelin in a contest with rivals including Russia's Atomstroiexport. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said his country was prepared to participate in a new US missile defence system replacing a Bush-era missile shield plan fiercely opposed by Russia, after holding talks with Biden. In Bucharest, Biden said he appreciated Romania's "almost instant embrace (of the project), as well as the one of your colleagues in Poland." In his address to Bucharest University, he said the "new missile defence architecture ... will protect all NATO allies, including all central European NATO members" and would provide "stronger, smarter and swifter defences." NATO defence ministers are to meeting in Bratislava on Friday where US Defense Secretary Robert Gates is set to brief his allies on Washington's new missile defence plans as well as a strategy for Afghanistan. Gates said the meeting would not address the politically sensitive issue of force levels and instead would focus on plans to expand Afghan security forces and civilian aid efforts. "I think there is ample for us to dicuss going forward that is completely independent of how many additional troops the president, and frankly, other members of the alliance may decide to send," Gates told reporters in Seoul. Biden rejected critics who said the decision to shelve former US president George W. Bush's missile shield in favour of the new system was bowing to Moscow, which had slammed the previous plans as a security threat. "Some jumped to the conclusion that this new approach was designed to appeal to Russia at the expense of central Europe. They are wrong. Missile defence is not about Russia," Biden said. "What is true is that we are working to strengthen our relationship with Russia. We believe that a more constructive relationship with Russia will benefit us all." US President Barack Obama's September decision to shelve the Bush-era shield had angered right-wing politicians in Poland and the Czech Republic and prompted local media to accuse the US of "treachery" and selling out to Moscow. Obama said he was opting for a more flexible system that is expected to include ship-based missile interceptors after a review found that Iran was developing its long-range missiles more slowly than anticipated. US Defence Secretary Gates has said Washington aimed to deploy a new SM-3 anti-missile system in Poland and the neighbouring Czech Republic in 2015. Poland and the Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999, 10 years after the demise of their communist regimes ended Soviet control in the region.
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