Will Allow Missile Defense System; Russia Not Pleased

Brrr... did it just get a bit chilly in here? A Russian general says Poland's agreement to allow US missile defense batteries to be placed in the formerly communist country may expose Poland to just such an attack.

"Poland, by deploying (the system) is exposing itself to a strike -- 100 percent," said Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, Russia's deputy chief of staff, according to the Interfax news agency.

Those are harsh words... particularly as Russia continues to advance into the former Soviet state of Georgia, despite calls for a pullback from the United States and France.

Though initially reticent to sign the US agreement, Poland signed the deal Thursday to allow a missile interceptor base. The United States says the system is intended to protect NATO-bloc nations from a ballistic missile attack from rogue states like Iran... but Russia says the system is aimed squarely at its own nuclear missiles.

And, if Nogovitsyn's rhetoric is to be believed, Russia appears increasingly willing to use those missiles. The Russian general pointedly noted its guidelines allow the use of nuclear weapons "against the allies of countries having nuclear weapons if they in some way help them," a statute that also applies to defense systems in his mind.

 US officials maintain the timing of the agreement is not meant to scorn Russia leaders, even as relations between the two countries grow increasingly strained over Russia's hostile push into the small state of Georgia. But Riki Ellison, President of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, isn't so sure.

"Over the last few days Russia has fired over two dozen SS-21 Ballistic Short Range Missiles into the country of Georgia, integrating ballistic missile strikes with their conventional military forces," Ellison notes. "These missiles have been used by the Russians tactically for psychological and military targets as the Georgians do not have the capability to defend against or defeat ballistic missiles.

"The use of ballistic missiles by Russia in this conflict sends an endorsement to the international community that the use of ballistic missiles has value, thus propelling countries and terrorist organizations to develop, purchase and continue to proliferate ballistic missiles... This outward military aggression with the use of ballistic missiles from Russia on a former USSR country sends a very serious message to all former members of the Soviet Bloc, especially Poland," he added.

Despite the signing of a temporary cease fire, spurred on by French president Nicholas Sarkozy, that agreement appears to have little actual teeth to it... as Russia  embraced a clause allowing a "peace-keeping force" to remain in Georgia, as an excuse to push further into the pro-US state.

There are some signs of hope about an end to the crisis, though it appears heavily one-sided. On Friday, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili signed a peace treaty with Russia... but it allows Russian troops to remain in South Ossetia and Abkhazia in a 'peacekeeping' role.

FMI: www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org