Poles, Czechs seek Obama nod on shield

WARSAW, Poland, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Poland and the Czech Republic say they hope U.S. President-elect Barack Obama remains committed to an Eastern European missile defense shield.

The two countries have worked closely with the Bush administration on agreements to site missile defense components in their countries despite strenuous objections from Russia, which sees the project as a threat to its security. But Obama has remained non-committal on the project, Euronews reported Saturday.

"We are not waiting for, even on political grounds, any kind of revolution. But of course, a new president looks at everything in a new way," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told Euronews, RIA Novosti reported. "We know the position of the newly elected president -- he told me himself that he wants to be sure that thing works."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy came out against the missile shield Friday, saying it would not improve Europe's security. That surprised the Czech Republic, Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra told Euronews.

"As far as the French presidency's mandate for the (European Union)-Russia summit is concerned, it contains no mention of the anti-missile shield," RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.