The first phase of a controversial US anti-missile shield in Poland could be completed by 2011, the country's defence minister said today.
Washington wants to place 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic as part to offer protection from potential attacks by what it calls "rogue regimes" such as Iran.
Asked when the Polish part might be finished Mr Aleksander Szczyglo said: "That depends on the negotiations. In 2011, 2012 at the earliest." The United States is in talks about the shield with the Polish and Czech governments.
The proposals have also raised concern in Poland, where the majority of Poles oppose the plan due to fears the country could become a target of a terrorist attack.
But Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski is committed to placing part of the shield on Polish territory, saying it would bring the country greater security.
The US plans have also sparked a row with Moscow, which fears the system could, at some stage, be converted for offensive use against Russia.