US rocket shield may be up by 2014: Diplomat

Moscow, Feb 7: A US anti-missile system may be built in Poland by 2014 if Warsaw accepts it on its territory, Russia's Interfax agency quoted a Polish diplomat in Moscow as saying.

''At the moment there has been no decision on whether to build an interception base in Poland,'' Polish military attache Andrzej Lewandowski told journalists yesterday.

''Such a base may be built before 2012-2014.'' Washington wants to place part of its multi-billion-dollar missile defence system -- which it says is designed to shoot down rockets from Iran and North Korea -- on Polish and Czech soil and is negotiating terms with Warsaw.

The plan has angered neighbouring Russia, which sees it as an attempt to change the strategic balance between Moscow and the West.

Reuters