Poland to reply on US missile plan in two weeks

WARSAW, Feb 18 (Reuters) Poland will reply within two weeks to a U.S. offer to build an anti-missile base on Polish soil, new Defence Minister Aleksander Szczyglo said today, confirming a weekend media report.

Szczyglo, who took office after this month's surprise resignation of Radoslaw Sikorski, did not give any indication of what the response would be.

Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski is in favour of the anti-missile shield saying it would bring Poland greater security.

But public opinion is divided and misgivings have emerged in his ruling coalition.

''We are now in the process of preparing a reply ... and I think within two weeks it will be relayed to the American government via diplomatic channels,'' PAP news agency quoted Szczyglo as saying.

''I shouldn't want to give concrete dates because such things always takes a bit of time, but I think the first meeting on the issue will take place in a few weeks.'' The United States has asked Poland and the neighbouring Czech Republic to host elements of its multi-billion dollar global defence system designed to counter missiles potentially fired by what Washington calls rogue states.

The Polish base would supplement existing missile-shield installations in the US states of Alaska and California and intercept any hostile missiles from the Middle and Far East.

Russia has threatened to install medium-range ballistic missiles in its Baltic Kaliningrad region neighbouring northern Poland if Warsaw agrees to host the US base in its territory.

Yesterday, daily Gazeta Wyborcza also said Poland would reply in the next two weeks to Washington's proposal, after the response had been delayed by Sikorski's resignation.

Kaczynski, the prime minister, has acknowledged the programme entailed an element of risk but added that ''if properly negotiated, it should serve Poland's security.'' REUTERS PDM KN1808