Bucharest/Washington, Feb 5 (DPA) Romania Thursday approved US plans to build elements of a missile defence shield in the country, marking the first step in a scaled-back version of the system proposed by US President Barack Obama.
The US asked Romania to host an SM-3 interceptor missile as part of a partial shift of the system into southern Europe and away from the Czech Republic and Poland, US State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said.
Romania’s supreme defence council (CSAT) approved the plans, which will be in place from 2015, Romanian President Traian Basescu said Thursday.
The shield was “not directed against Russia,” Basescu said, but would “protect the whole of Romania’s territory.” Crowley said the system was aimed at the ballistic missile threat from Iran and could eventually protect all of Europe.
The Romanian parliament has yet to give its approval for the plans, but Defence Minister Teodor Melescanu said he did not foresee any problems in obtaining it.
Obama in September announced plans to scupper a long-range missile defence shield in the Czech Republic and Poland that was supported by his predecessor George W Bush and strongly criticized by Russia. Obama opted for short and medium-range systems, based on land and sea, that had proven more capable in testing.
The Romanian deal was “a first step in terms of the revised architecture” that Obama had announced, Crowley said.
Talks over a different role for Poland and the Czech Republic are still underway.
