CENTRAL AND EAST EUROPEAN COALITION MEETS WITH U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY OFFICIALS ON MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM PLANS

Eesti elu
29 Sep 2009

WASHINGTON, DC (EANC) – National Security Council officials from
the White House met with the Central and East European Coalition
(CEEC) on Tuesday, September 22, 2009, to provide information on the
Administration’s new plans for a missile defense system in Europe. This
followed initial discussions on September 17, the day that President
Obama announced his decision to cancel current agreements with Poland
and the Czech Republic.

Both the Estonian American National Council, Inc. (EANC), and the
Joint Baltic American National Committee, Inc. (JBANC) are members
of the Central and East European Coalition (CEEC), an assembly of
18 ethnic organizations representing 22 million Americans of Central
and East European descent. Both Marju Rink-Abel, EANC President, and
Karl Altau, JBANC Managing Director, were at the meeting with senior
members of the Obama Administration Antony J. Blinken, Deputy Assistant
to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President;
Jeff Hovenier, Director for Central and Southeastern Europe; William
Schlickenmaier, Director for Eastern and Strategic European Affairs;
and Jon B. Wolfsthal, Special Advisor for Nonproliferation.

Antony Blinken stated that the Administration has "moved to a new
phased approach" in the deployment of missiles aimed at protecting
the U.S. and its European allies against Iranian missiles. The United
States has reassessed the threat from Iran, and will deploy "proven
technology" in the form of multiple short and mid-range missiles
in various locations, initially ship-based and later land-based,
beginning in 2011, instead of the small number of long-range missiles
previously planned to be deployed several years later in Poland and
the Czech Republic.

The United States will work through NATO to develop its plans, and
intends to consult with the Russian Federation in the framework of
the NATO- ssile defense to on-going negotiations for the Strategic
Arms Reduction Treaty (START).

The CEEC voiced concern about the negative perceptions engendered
by the decision to change course and the manner in which the
announcement was handled. CEEC members also offered suggestions
for the Administration to consider that would demonstrate continued
U.S. support for Central and Eastern Europe.

One such suggestion, the formulation of a public U.S. policy regarding
the Central and East European region, including affirmation of the
delinkage of this policy from that of the U.S. policy toward Russia,
was raised by Marju Rink-Abel. The policy should discuss security in
the region, addressing topics such as increased military presence,
more training and aid, cooperative military exercises, and contingency
plans. In response, Antony Blinken affirmed the Administration’s
intent to "articulate the basic tenets of the policy" in a robust
fashion before the year is out, but stated that the policy would
encompass more than security, including areas such as the economy,
cultural exchanges, and energy.

Other topics discussed included enhanced public U.S. support through
high-level visits and exchange programs, expansion of the visa waiver
program, NATO expansion and assistance to Georgia and Ukraine, and
the use of the Baltic and Western NIS Enterprise Funds, as well
as assistance for Armenia and Belarus. NSC officials referred to
President Obama’s July 2009 speech in Moscow and to Vice President
Biden’s February Munich speech and trip to Ukraine and Georgia in
July as examples of U.S. commitment to Central and Eastern Europe
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