Warsaw - Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in an interview published Saturday said his country had still not given its approval for the planned US missile defence system in Poland. "We haven't made a decision yet," he told the Gazeta Wyborcza.
According to Sikorski, Poland does not feel threatened by Iran. However, if an important ally approached his country for help, the request would be taken seriously, he said.
Negotiations could only be concluded if the United States made an offer which the Polish government could credibly present to the parliament, he said. Parliament has to ratify such an agreement.
The previous government under Jaroslaw Kaczynski had backed the US project and pressed for its speedy implementation.
Poland was in talks with "all" candidates for the presidential office in the US, Sikorski said.
"The worst situation would be for Poland to say yes, and then have to pay the political price, and afterwards the shield would not be built because of a change of government in the US," Sikorski said.
He complained that Washington had so far not managed to dispel Russian reservations over the project despite its earlier assurances.
Therefore, Warsaw intended to enter into direct dialogue with Moscow, he said. Worsening relations with Russia would be a "high price" to pay.
Poland and Russia are scheduled to hold first direct talks on the controversial project on January 10, when Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak is to visit Warsaw.
Russia thinks the missile shield threatens its own security and has threatened to aim its own missiles at targets inside Poland.
The US has also planned to build a radar system in the Czech Republic as part of the missile defence shield.
