Poland is more likely to agree to host a US missile shield after signs Washington is ready to meet Polish demands for enhanced military cooperation, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday. “I will not announce a success before the ink is dry but the information we are getting makes the acceptance of my government's demands by the US more probable than only a few weeks ago,” Tusk told a news conference. He said Polish demands for a permanent US military presence in Poland and commitment to boost Polish defenses as part of the deal were taken more seriously by the United States in view of the conflict between Russia and Georgia. US negotiators were due in Warsaw on Wednesday for the next round of talks on the shield, which Washington wants to deploy in central Europe against ballistic missiles that could be fired by what it calls rogue states. The United States wants to deploy 10 rocket interceptors in Poland and a radar in the neighboring Czech Republic as part of the missile shield. The Czechs have already signed up to the radar but the negotiations with Poland have been dragging on for months since Donald Tusk took over as prime minister in November from his pro-US conservative predecessor.
