NATO Says Still Backs Plan For U.S. Missile Shield

Washington says the shield will protect the United States and its allies from attack by "rogue" states such as Iran and North Korea.

NATO reaffirmed on Monday its backing for a planned U.S. missile shield in Europe after French President Nicolas Sarkozy said it would bring no extra security on the continent.

NATO leaders including Sarkozy welcomed U.S. plans to deploy the missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic as a "substantial contribution to the protection of allies" at a summit in Bucharest last April.

Washington says the shield will protect the United States and its allies from attack by "rogue" states such as Iran and North Korea and rejects Russia's argument that it is a direct threat to its territory.

But after talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday, Sarkozy said that deploying the U.S. anti-missile system would do "nothing to bring security and complicates things".

NATO spokeswoman Carmen Romero said the alliance's position had not changed.

"The decision taken at Bucharest is very clear and we are continuing to analyse different options relating to missile defence," she said, referring to options such as a proposal for NATO to complement the U.S. shield with additional components aimed at reinforcing its coverage of southeast Europe.

At an EU summit with Russia on Friday, Sarkozy said he had won Russian backing for talks on security in Europe next year and urged a freeze in missile deployments by Moscow and the United States until then.

GLOBAL MISSILE SYSTEM

Russian has threatened to deploy missiles near NATO's borders in Europe if Washington goes ahead with the system.

Moscow hopes U.S. President-elect Barack Obama will be less enthusiastic about the project than President George W. Bush.

Russian officials say they have been encouraged by early signals and in Washington at the weekend Medvedev suggested Moscow might accept something less than cancellation of the shield.

He said it might be possible to agree on a global anti-missile system or to find a solution on the existing programmes which would suit Moscow.

The NATO spokeswoman had no comment on Sarkozy's call for international talks on European security mid-next year.

That call from Sarkozy followed on from a Russian proposal for Europe to work with Russia on a new security pact. Moscow says Washington has forfeited its place at the heart of the world order, but some see the Russian plan as a threat to NATO.

Sarkozy's remarks were immediately questioned by the Czech Republic -- which is due to host a tracking radar as part of the U.S. missile shield. Prague, which is due to take over the EU presidency from France in January, said Sarkozy had no mandate for his remarks.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has called for a report for a NATO summit in April 2009 on options to expand missile defence to areas of NATO not covered by the U.S. plan.