A Russian general threatened Poland Friday over its decision to take part in a US missile shield, but President Dmitry Medvedev took a more measured tone even while charging the system was aimed against Russia, according to dpa. Moscow has warned it would add the planned US bases in Poland and the Czech Republic to its list of missile targets, a point raised by Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy chief of Russia's general staff. "By putting up interceptors, Poland is placing itself at risk. In terms of priority, such targets are the first to be destroyed," the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying. Nogovitsyn referred to Russian nuclear arms doctrine in case of war, under which he said any elements of a foreign anti-missile shield are included on the target list. Coming amid the crisis over fighting between Russia and the pro- Western republic of Georgia, Thursday's US-Polish deal on missile defence added to tension between Moscow and the West. Poland agreed to station US missile interceptors in return for military aid including Patriot air defence missiles. The Czech government agreed in July to host a radar for the missile shield. The deal with Warsaw followed more than a year of tough bargaining and several years of informal US efforts to win agreement from the two former Soviet-bloc nations, now NATO members. Medvedev called the agreement "sad for Europe" and mocked US assurances that the missile defences are aimed at threats from nations like Iran and North Korea, not Russia. "The fairy tales that they are aimed at rogue states don't work anymore," he said after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Sochi, Russia. However, he said Russia was ready to continue discussing the issue with the West. Poland's decision "nevertheless is not dramatic," he said. "We will continue to work together in this issue." Poland bargained hard for US military aid, particularly for a boost in its air defences after Moscow threatened to target the planned missile-shield bases. The interceptors are designed to destroy incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles in space. The Patriots sought by Poland are theatre defence weapons with a range of about 70 kilometres. Polish President Lech Kaczynski spoke out for strong ties with the US on a national holiday marking a 1920 victory over Bolshevik troops. The Russian defeat preserved Polish independence after World War I. "I'm very happy," Kaczynski said at the events in Warsaw, which included a military parade. "Because Poland must be strong, on its own and with its allies." In Prague, the Czech government welcomed the US-Polish deal. "We are glad that Poland and the US made this agreement, which is also good for the Czech Republic and NATO," deputy foreign minister Tomas Pojar told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. He questioned comments by Russian politicians suggesting the agreement was reached hastily under the impact of the Georgia conflict. "It would have happened even without the events in Georgia," Pojar said. The Foreign Ministry in Estonia, a Baltic nation that regained independence when the Soviet Union fell apart, said it saw no threat to Russia or Europe. "On the contrary - looking into the future, this system is an additional element of guaranteeing security," a Foreign Ministry statement said.
