WARSAW: Warsaw and Washington signed a preliminary deal Thursday on basing part of a US missile shield in Poland, in the face of Moscow’s vehement opposition and mounting East-West tensions over Georgia. US and Polish negotiators inked the accord in a ceremony after two days of talks in the Polish capital. "This is an important agreement for the security of the United States, for the security of Poland and the security of our NATO allies," chief US negotiator John Rood told reporters. Washington plans to base 10 interceptor missiles in Poland plus a radar facility in the neighbouring Czech Republic by 2011-2013 to complete a system already in place in the United States, Greenland and Britain. Washington insists the shield, which was endorsed by all 26 NATO member states earlier this year, is to fend off potential missile attacks by "rogue states, " notably Iran. US President George W. Bush "was very pleased with this development," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters in Washington. "In no way is the president's plan for missile defense aimed at Russia. In fact, it's just not even logically possible for it to be aimed at Russia given how Russia could overwhelm it," she said. The plan, however, has become a major source of tension with Moscow. It considers it a security threat designed to undermine Russia's nuclear deterrent, and has vowed a firm response if the Czechs and Poles go ahead.
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