NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Thursday a U.S. decision to shelve plans for a missile shield in the Czech Republic and Poland «is a positive step.», AP reported. Fogh Rasmussen said he had talks with the top American envoy to the alliance on Thursday morning about the changes in the plans, adding the full alliance would be debriefed later in the day. The NATO chief insisted new U.S. plans would improve the involvement of all NATO nations. «It is my clear impression that the American plan on missile defense will involve NATO .... to a higher degree in the future,» Fogh Rasmussen told reporters. «This is a positive step in the direction of an inclusive and transparent process, which I also think is in the interest of ... the NATO alliance.» Czech Premier Jan Fischer said Thursday that President Barack Obama told him Washington has decided to pull out of the plan that had deeply angered Russia. -- SPA
