DAR AL HARB - E.U.: N.A.T.O. SHOULD INCORPORATE THE U.S. MISSILE DEFENSE SHIELD

Germany suggests NATO use U.S. missile shield

WIESBADEN, Germany: The German defense minister suggested Friday that U.S. plans to develop an antimissile shield with radar units and interceptor batteries based in Europe could be integrated into the defenses of the NATO alliance.

The United States 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.

"I think it would be smart to integrate this whole system into NATO," Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung said after a meeting of European Union defense ministers.

Jung did not say whether Germany was for or against such a shield, but his spokesman said Berlin acknowledged that some form of action was needed to address the threat of attack. "The question of a threat from long-range missiles exists, and this threat must be addressed by concrete measures," said the spokesman, Thomas Raabe.

Jung also said NATO should do more to address Russian concerns about the American plan.

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