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Obama may drop missile sites in East Europe

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-08-30 10:28

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration has alternative plans for missile defense, which could drop planned missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

Quoting official sources, the newspaper said the administration is hopeful to complete a review of the missile defense plans next month, possibly in time for US President Barack Obama to present the new ideas to visiting Russian President Dmitri Medvedev at the annual opening of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

But US officials also cautioned that no decisions had been made and that all options were still under discussion, including retaining the Polish and Czech sites first selected by former US president George W. Bush.

Among the alternatives are dropping either the Polish or Czech site, or both sites, and instead building launching pads or radar installations in Turkey or the Balkans.

The new plan would not be intended to please Russia, but to adjust to "a threat from shorter-range Iranian missiles," according to the officials.