Warsaw - The United States and Poland noted "progress" in an October 2-3 round of talks in Warsaw regarding a controversial US plan to install anti-ballistic missile shield silos in Poland, according to a Polish Foreign Ministry statement issued Thursday. "The negotiations were conducted in a constructive atmosphere with both sides noting progress," the statement said.
Further negotiations are expected in the coming weeks, it said.
Last month a US State Department official said negotiations could be completed by the end of the year, despite Poland's October 21 general election which could delay a final agreement.
"Talks could be completed by the year's end," Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried said.
Fried, however, stressed there was no official target for the completion of talks on the controversial US plan to install 10 anti- ballistic missiles in Poland as a safeguard against missile attacks by so-called rogue states such as Iran or North Korea.
Moscow is vehemently opposed to the plan and regards the US missile shield proposal as a grave threat to its national security on its very doorstep. US officials, however, insist the project poses no threat to Russia.
The Defence and Foreign Ministers of Russia and the United States are due to continue talks on the missile shield controversy on October 12.
Experts had earlier discussed the possible joint use of a radar site in Azerbaijan during earlier meetings in Washington and Paris, but without any concrete results.
Consultations are scheduled to take place ahead of the meeting in Moscow on October 9 and 10.
Existing US plans call for the radar early warning portion of the missile shield to be based in Poland's southern neighbour, EU and NATO partner, the Czech Republic.
