Polish city sees hope in US missile shield

SLUPSK, Poland, May 30 (Reuters) - The future location of the US anti-missile shield in Poland is still an official secret but in the northern city of Slupsk the locals already know they may live next to it.

The facility, which has caused controversy in Europe and anger in Moscow, is a hot topic in Slupsk and nearby Redzikowo, an ex-military airfield poised to house the rocket silos and about 200 US military personnel.

Surveys show most Poles oppose the conservative government's plan to host the anti-missile base, fearing it could make ex-communist Poland a target for attack.

But in Slupsk and Redzikowo, apprehension seems outweighed by hopes for an economic boost and a new lease of life for the struggling community around the defunct airfield.

''I'm in favour,'' said Zbigniew Borkowski, a 53-year-old taxi driver who regularly ferries customers between Redzikowo and Slupsk. ''This will breathe new life into the entire region.'' Government and diplomatic sources confirm that Radzikowo, 477 kilometres north of Warsaw, has been picked for the base but are reluctant to go on the record until negotiations between Warsaw and Washington are well advanced.

For Borkowski, no such public confirmation is necessary. He already keeps an English course book in his cab, studying the language of his future customers while idling at a rank.

''The talk of a threat because the shield will be installed is just scare-mongering,'' he told Reuters.

Local authorities say the benefits of having the base are clear for Redzikowo, which was used by the German air force (Luftwaffe) during World War Two and then became a Soviet army outpost. Now dilapidated, it is populated mostly by ex-military families living in crumbling Soviet-style apartment blocs.

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