Embassy Hosts Informational Lunch on Missile Defense

12 March 2008

Mary Curtin with Mr. Jaroslaw Kalinowski of PSL  (more photos)

Embassy Charge d’Affaires Mary Curtin hosted a luncheon for Polish parliamentarians and local government officials on March 11 to provide further information about the U.S. proposal for a missile defense site in Poland.  Ms. Curtin explained that the luncheon was “part of the Embassy’s initiative to provide more complete information about missile defense to government officials and opinion leaders in Poland.”  Guests of honor from the U.S. side were GEN (ret) Ron Kadish, the former head of the Missile Defense Agency, and AMB Bob Joseph, former Assistant Secretary for Arms Control. They were accompanied by Mr. Riki Ellison, the President and founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance.  Polish PO parliamentarian Zbigniew Konwiński, in a comment to the Polish Wire service PAP, noted that “the Americans  place great importance on good relations, especially with the local community where the site would be located.” He added that “the Americans maintained that the proposed missile defense site would not pose a threat to local inhabitants.”