Russia Warns of Military Response if US Deploys Missile Shield

Russia reacted angrily to a deal inked Tuesday between the US and the Czech Republic on a missile defense shield. Moscow has said it may respond with military action.>> Russia warned late Tuesday that it would use a "military-technical" response to the US missile shield system which Washington wants to deploy in Poland and the Czech Republic.>> Moscow has said the missile shield would increase tensions in Europe and expressed fears it could be used to spy on Russia instead of, as Washington says, protecting Europe against missile attacks by so-called rogue states like Iran.>> The warning, reported by ITAR-TASS news agency quoting the Russian Foreign Ministry, came as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice completed a deal in Prague for the Czechs to host the system's radar installation.>> "If the agreement with the United States liable for ratification by the Czech parliament eventually becomes a law, and the deployment of US missile defense elements really starts in direct proximity to our borders, we will have to use military-technical rather than diplomatic methods," the Russian ministry statement said.>> "Russia will have to take appropriate measures and compensate the forming of potential threats to its national security. This is not our choice.">> Washington played down Moscow's saber rattling, urging Russia to join its defense program as an "equal partner.">> "We seek strategic cooperation on preventing missiles from rogue nations like Iran from threatening our friends and allies," said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe. "We will continue to have dialog with the Russians.