Filed at 11:38 a.m. ET
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s top defense body on Thursday approved a U.S. proposal to place anti-ballistic missile interceptors in the country as part of a revamped U.S. missile shield, the president said.
President Traian Basescu said Romania will host ”ground capabilities to intercept missiles” that will increase its national security and go into operation starting in 2015.
There was no official confirmation from the U.S. government, but a U.S. State Department official in Washington said President Barack Obama’s administration had asked Romania to host the system. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
”Romania will not host a system directed against Russia, but against other threats,” Basescu said, adding that the measure was not directed against Russia.
U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden visited Romania in October as part of his tour of Central Europe, where he presented a revamped U.S. missile shield plan to replace a scrapped Bush-era plan to install interceptors in Poland and radar in the Czech Republic.
Basescu said the old U.S. plan only protected a small part of Romania but the new one ”guarantees full coverage of Romanian territory” in case of a hostile ballistic or mid-range missile attack.
The decision by Romania’s Supreme Defense Council came after a meeting between Basescu and U.S. Under Secretary of state for arms control Ellen Tauscher.
Basescu said bilateral negotiations will start soon with the U.S. on this issue and the accord must be approved by parliament.
