US President-elect Barack Obama has assured Polish President Lech Kaczynski that US plans to install elements of its anti-missile shield in Poland are on track, according to a Polish presidential statement issued today. However an aide to Mr Obama in Washington said he had given no commitment to deploy the system.
Some Polish politicians had expressed fears that a Democratic Obama presidency might be less enthusiastic towards the plan launched by his Republican predecessor, George W. Bush.
"During a conversation, Barack Obama emphasised the importance of the partnership between Poland and the United States and expressed the hope that political and military cooperation would continue," said the statement, posted on Kaczynski's official presidential website.
"He (Obama) also stated that the anti-missile-shield project would be continued," said the statement, issued after the two held a teleconference late yesterday.
But a senior foreign-policy adviser to Mr Obama qualified what the president-elect had been reported as saying in his talk with the Polish president.
"President Kaczynski raised missile defence, but President-elect Obama made no commitment on it," Dennis McDonough said.
"His position is as it was throughout the campaign - that he supports deploying a missile defence system when the technology is proved to be workable," he added.
Poland and neighbouring Czech Republic have agreed to host elements of the US defence network, designed to protect against missile attacks by what Washington calls "rogue states".
Russia, which has opposed the scheme, announced plans yesterday to install its own missile defences in its westernmost outpost of Kaliningrad as a counter-measure.
The Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad is the only part of Russian territory directly bordering Poland.
Reuters