Germany called on Friday for talks on creating a NATO missile defence shield for Europe, a day after the United States vowed to press ahead with its system without alliance approval, according to Reuters. The head of the Pentagon's Missile Defence Agency said on Thursday Washington wanted to secure the understanding of its 25 NATO members for its plans to build a missile shield in eastern Europe, but was not seeking their green light. The United States' European allies are concerned the move will damage their ties with Moscow, and Germany has led calls for wider consultations on the project. Ukraine has also complained Washington had not consulted with it. Three ex-Soviet states in the Caucasus -- Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia -- said on Friday that Washington had not yet asked them to host the anti-missile shield. U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen Henry Obering said having a radar in the Caucasus, just south of Russia, would be useful, but not essential. He did not specify a country. "We should discuss developing such a defence measure within a NATO framework," German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung told reporters on the margins of a meeting of EU defence chiefs in the German city of Wiesbaden. Jung said Russian concerns over the shield could be allayed by talks within NATO's existing NATO-Russia Council, a forum for discussing defence issues between the former Cold War foes. "I think that is the right way forward," he said. The United States wants to set up a radar system in the Czech Republic and a missile battery in Poland as part of a shield that would counter missiles fired by what Washington calls "rogue states" such as Iran and North Korea. Jung did not say whether Germany was prepared to participate in the huge cost of such a shield but his spokesman said Berlin acknowledged action was needed to address the threat of attack. "The question of a threat from long-range missiles exists and this threat must be addressed by concrete measures," defence ministry spokesman Thomas Raabe said, adding that ultimately any missile defence system should be brought under a NATO roof.
