WARSAW, July 21: Poland and the United States made some progress on Monday in their efforts to forge a deal on stationing part of an anti-missile defence shield on Polish soil, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

“The two sides have said they are drawing closer,” spokesman Piotr Paszkowski said after Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski held talks with US Assistant Undersecretary of State Dan Fried.

Paszkowski said he could not comment on the details of the talks but added Polish and US officials would hold a further round of technical discussions in Warsaw on Wednesday.

The Bush administration wants to install 10 interceptor missiles in Poland as part of its shield project that aims to protect the United States and its European allies against possible attack by what Washington calls “rogue states”. Russia is fiercely opposed to the project and has said it will point missiles at Poland and the Czech Republic — both Nato allies — if the deployment goes ahead.

In return for the shield project Warsaw has asked for hefty US investments in upgrading its antiquated air defences.

Poland recently turned down a US offer to site a Patriot battery on its soil for one year as insufficient, saying it needed a permanent commitment.

“The talks are still ongoing. Anything is possible. There is an equal chance of reaching a deal now or with the next US administration,” one Polish diplomat said last week.—Reuters