09-07-09 U.S. to Finish European Missile Shield Review by End of Summer

The United States said yesterday it expects to finish reviewing a plan to place missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic by the end of the summer,Agence France-Presse reported.Washington has accelerated the review of the Bush-era plan,which it intends to share privately with Polish,Czech and NATO officials before making it public,said Assistant Secretary of State Stephen Mull."We're strictly focused on what is the threat to our allies and to us,secondly what is the best way to respond to that,and thirdly what's the most cost-efficient way to do it," Mull said.Plans for the shield,which Washington says would help protect Europe and the United States from Iranian missiles,have been heavily contested by Russia,which views the potential deployment as a security threat.Some analysts have speculated that the Obama administration might scrap or revise the plan in light of its efforts to rebuild relations with Moscow.However,Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski yesterday said he feels "reassured" that the United States will not forsake its plan to deploy 10 missile interceptors in Poland.The diplomat expressed the sentiment after Mull briefed him on Obama's meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev earlier this week."We know the decision will be taken by the United States and its Polish and Czech allies,and not by third parties," Sikorski said."And that's good news" Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday emphasized the importance of not allowing Russia to have a say on the missile-defense project,the Associated Press reported."We have to make that decision," Powell said."They can't have veto power over what we think is needed"