Post by Jaga on Aug 6, 2008 18:57:59 GMT -7
about the negotiations with the shield:
www.polamjournal.com/News/Editorial/editorial.html
With Sikorski at the Helm, Poland Matures
While the jury is still out on whether or not a U.S. missile base in Poland would be good for either country, one thing is for sure: Poland is maturing as a player in world politics.
The United States wants to place a defense base on Polish soil, saying the missiles will protect NATO allies from potential attacks from enemy states such as Iran, an Islamic nation under diplomatic pressure to end its nuclear program.
Poland, while eager to strengthen its ties with Washington, agrees, but not at the first offer thrown on the table.
Details of Poland's terms have not been made public. However, it is no secret that Poland is demanding billions of dollars worth of U.S. military aid, in part to deter a possible strike from Russia. Poland is well-aware Russia does not want a U.S. missile base near its border. Russia's neighbors know that, should Moscow become aggressive, they will be the first ones to bear the wrath.
The Bush Administration, for all purposes, has taken advantage of Poland's willingness to associate itself with the United States. By global economic standards, it gave virtually nothing in return. Poland became one of Washington's preeminent allies in Iraq War, yet its citizens were denied visa waivers. Bush stonewalled the visa situation every time he was asked about it. This became embarrassing to Polish officials, who put its military on the line to help the United States but was not granted the same courtesies given to other countries, who told Bush to go fly a kite. The icing on the cake was the CIA's placement of terrorist detainee camps on Polish soil. Both countries officially deny the prisons ever existed, even though CIA agents told The New York Times they did.
Poles are learning to play the game. This is due largely to Washington-savvy Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, who, unlike his predecessors, is following a policy of quid pro quo. In short: if the United States wants Poland to stick its neck out, it better be prepared to pay for it.
If the United States wants Poland to stick its neck out,
it better be prepared to pay for it.
Talks are not yet over, but—at the time this is being written—are on hold. Sikorski made an eleventh hour visit to Washington to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice just before she departed for Prague to sign a missile system accord with the Czechs. Rice hoped to tell her travel team to plan a stop in Warsaw, but Sikorski, it appears, held his ground.
Suggesting an impasse, Rice told reporters "We are at a place where these negotiations need to come to a conclusion." She said there was little point in going to Warsaw unless the Poles were ready to move ahead.
While in Washington, Sikorski held talks with presidential hopeful John McCain, and called them "so cordial and precise that it surprised us."
He added that Barack Obama's skepticism about the shield is "widely known."
McCain's opinion strengthens the Polish stance in negotiations, Sikorski said, and serves as an important point in talks.
"It shows the possible future president and one of the main strategists of that country thinks Polish demands are sensible," he said
Even if McCain wins, Sikorski knows any deal reached with the Bush administration could be abandoned by the next administration. Still, he remains cautiously optimistic.
"There is a political risk involved," he said following his meeting with Rice, "which is part of our calculations."
www.polamjournal.com/News/Editorial/editorial.html
With Sikorski at the Helm, Poland Matures
While the jury is still out on whether or not a U.S. missile base in Poland would be good for either country, one thing is for sure: Poland is maturing as a player in world politics.
The United States wants to place a defense base on Polish soil, saying the missiles will protect NATO allies from potential attacks from enemy states such as Iran, an Islamic nation under diplomatic pressure to end its nuclear program.
Poland, while eager to strengthen its ties with Washington, agrees, but not at the first offer thrown on the table.
Details of Poland's terms have not been made public. However, it is no secret that Poland is demanding billions of dollars worth of U.S. military aid, in part to deter a possible strike from Russia. Poland is well-aware Russia does not want a U.S. missile base near its border. Russia's neighbors know that, should Moscow become aggressive, they will be the first ones to bear the wrath.
The Bush Administration, for all purposes, has taken advantage of Poland's willingness to associate itself with the United States. By global economic standards, it gave virtually nothing in return. Poland became one of Washington's preeminent allies in Iraq War, yet its citizens were denied visa waivers. Bush stonewalled the visa situation every time he was asked about it. This became embarrassing to Polish officials, who put its military on the line to help the United States but was not granted the same courtesies given to other countries, who told Bush to go fly a kite. The icing on the cake was the CIA's placement of terrorist detainee camps on Polish soil. Both countries officially deny the prisons ever existed, even though CIA agents told The New York Times they did.
Poles are learning to play the game. This is due largely to Washington-savvy Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, who, unlike his predecessors, is following a policy of quid pro quo. In short: if the United States wants Poland to stick its neck out, it better be prepared to pay for it.
If the United States wants Poland to stick its neck out,
it better be prepared to pay for it.
Talks are not yet over, but—at the time this is being written—are on hold. Sikorski made an eleventh hour visit to Washington to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice just before she departed for Prague to sign a missile system accord with the Czechs. Rice hoped to tell her travel team to plan a stop in Warsaw, but Sikorski, it appears, held his ground.
Suggesting an impasse, Rice told reporters "We are at a place where these negotiations need to come to a conclusion." She said there was little point in going to Warsaw unless the Poles were ready to move ahead.
While in Washington, Sikorski held talks with presidential hopeful John McCain, and called them "so cordial and precise that it surprised us."
He added that Barack Obama's skepticism about the shield is "widely known."
McCain's opinion strengthens the Polish stance in negotiations, Sikorski said, and serves as an important point in talks.
"It shows the possible future president and one of the main strategists of that country thinks Polish demands are sensible," he said
Even if McCain wins, Sikorski knows any deal reached with the Bush administration could be abandoned by the next administration. Still, he remains cautiously optimistic.
"There is a political risk involved," he said following his meeting with Rice, "which is part of our calculations."
