VILNIUS. July 14 (Interfax-AVN) - Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus does not think Lithuania would be a better site than Poland for elements of a planned U.S. missile shield in Europe but Lithuania is open to talks on having such elements deployed in his country if Poland refuses to host them, his office said on Friday.
"Should it prove impossible for some reason to reach an agreement to deploy elements of the missile defense in Poland, Lithuania would seriously consider the possibility of stationing those elements in Lithuania," the presidential press service told Interfax.
Adamkus believes "it would make no great difference where in the region elements of the missile defense were deployed," the service said.
At the same time, the president "emphasizes that currently there are no negotiations in progress with Lithuania, and the head of state does not think that Lithuania would be a more suitable site for missile defense elements than Poland," it said.
Adamkus "wishes success to U.S. and Polish negotiators who are currently seeking an agreement [to deploy U.S. interceptor missiles in Poland] that might become an important security factor in Europe," the service said.
Several hours before, Adamkus told a news conference he could see no need for Lithuania to host elements of the planned American missile defense.