Bush, Polish leader impel defense talks

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Missile defense negotiations between the U.S. and Polish governments will move forward after both sides appeared to make key concessions yesterday during talks between President Bush and Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the White House.

Mr. Tusk, who took power after elections last fall, said Mr. Bush agreed to discuss modernization of the Polish military during negotiations on missile defense.

The U.S. position had been that military assistance would be discussed separately.

"We came to a conclusion ... that the missile defense system and the modernization of the Polish forces — as well as the reinforcement of the global security system, which also influences the Polish security system — that all these issues come in one package," Mr. Tusk told reporters in the Oval Office.

"This is really something which gives us very much good hope for the future," he said.

Polish officials appeared to have dropped demands that the United States commit to defending Poland, outside NATO, in the event of an attack.

"It appears that both sides are meeting each other halfway," said Julianne Smith, director of the Europe program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Before Mr. Tusk's visit, Ms. Smith said, observers speculated that he might "come to Washington with a long list of demands" and that his ascendancy to the Polish leadership might result in "an infinite number of delays" to missile defense talks.

Although Mr. Tusk's announcement yesterday was short on details, "the important thing is that the wheels are turning again and there is a chance for this system to be finally agreed upon before the president leaves office, which is very important to him," Ms. Smith said.

The United States wants to post 10 interceptor systems in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic to defend Eastern Europe against attacks by rogue regimes, such as Iran. Russia sees the system as a threat and opposes it.

Poland agreed to allow U.S. interceptor missiles on its soil, but asked for help in improving its air defenses against midrange missiles.

"Poland can imagine a scenario where Russia would strike the system. That seems unrealistic to us but it seems possible to the Poles," Ms. Smith said.

The White House yesterday rejected the notion of a Russian attack on the system.

"When [Mr. Tusk] talks about air defenses, it's that their systems, they feel, are not modern, and that they want to modernize it," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. "But no one was talking about Russia attacking Poland. If that is a concern of the Polish government, I'll refer you to them and they can talk about that."

Mr. Bush also said yesterday that Vice President Dick Cheney will travel to Israel next week as part of an ongoing U.S. effort to preserve peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Mr. Cheney will leave for the Middle East on Sunday, following up on a visit to Israel by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last weekend and in preparation for Mr. Bush's trip there in May.

Mr. Cheney will also travel to Oman, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.