International Missile Defense Conference Held in Krakow

June 29, 2007 

(from left to right:) Witold Waszczykowski, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Klich, European Parliamentarian, Guy Roberts, Deputy Assistant Secretary General of NATO, Patricia Sanders, Executive Director of the US Missile Defense Agency and Victor Ashe, U.S. Ambassador to Poland (photo gallery)

The Institute of Strategic Studies (ISS), in cooperation with the US Consulate General in Krakow, organized a one-day conference on June 29 entitled, “Does Poland Need the Missile Shield?”  The conference on the proposed American plan to locate a defensive missile system in Poland and radar system in the Czech Republic opened with welcome remarks by European Parliament MP and President of ISS, Bogdan Klich.  US Ambassador Victor Ashe described the main US policy position on missile defense, outlining the threat and stressing that the proposed US system is defensive and a part of the overall joint security of the United States and Europe.  Guy Roberts, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for WMD Policy, explained that NATO sees the proposed US missile defense system as complementary to NATO missile defense.  He also stated that the US has been very open with Russia about the system by encouraging visits to both US missile sites and the future Czech and Polish sites.   Dr. Patricia Sanders, Executive Director of the US Missile Defense Agency, explained technical aspects of the missile defense system.  She noted that 18 of the last 19 tests of the missile system have been successful.  The conference also featured comments from Dr. Witold Waszczykowski, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who had just returned from missile defense negotiations in the United States.  The Czech Ambassador to Poland was also among the key speakers at the conference.

For the text of Ambassador Ashe’s speech, click here