DAR AL HARB - E.U.: GERMANY & U.K. WANT MORE 'TALKS' WITH U.S. OF A. CONCERNING "ANTI-MISSILE" DEFENSE

Germany calls for more NATO talks on U.S. anti-missile program
PAUL AMES, Associated Press Writer
March 2, 2007 2:51 AM

WIESBADEN, Germany (AP) - Germany's defense minister on Friday urged more talks within NATO on the U.S. plan to locate elements of an anti-missile shield in Europe which has raised tensions between Russia and the United States.

The U.S. has formally requested to place a radar base in the Czech Republic and 10 interceptor missiles in Poland as part of its plans for a missile defense shield that Washington says would protect against a potential threat from Iran or North Korea.

''We should talk about the development of such a measure within the framework of NATO,'' Franz Josef Jung told reporters on the sidelines of a European Union defense ministers meeting.

He said NATO should also do more to allay Moscow's concerns about the American plan.

Britain is also in talks with the U.S. about the deployment. On Thursday, the director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, Lt. Gen. Henry A. Obering, said Washington wants to base an anti-missile radar in the Caucasus, a move likely to intensify Russian concerns.

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1) Germany calls for more NATO talks on U.S. anti-missile program