"Elements of the strategic anti-missile defence system already exist or are being set up in Alaska, California, in northeast Asia. When you look at a map, it becomes clear that everything is concentrated around our borders," Lavrov told Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland's leading quality daily.

"In the near future we'll probably be talking about hundreds or even thousands of interceptor missiles in different parts of the globe, including Europe. Poland is just a test case," Lavrov said.

The United States is currently negotiating with Warsaw and Prague on the possible installation of 10 interceptor missile sites in Poland by 2012 and associated radar stations in the Czech Republic.

Washington says the sites are needed as part of a gradually-developing shield to ward off potential attacks by what it calls "rogue states," notably Iran.

But Russia strongly opposes the plans and considers them a grave threat to its national security.

"You'd have to be really naive to think that an American anti-missile base in Europe is directed against anywhere else than Russian territory. It's unfortunately hard to find any other explanation for this than an imperialist concept," Lavrov said.

"Russia isn't afraid of 10 interceptors. It's this tendency to bring American infrastructure closer to our borders which constitutes the real threat," he said.

Russian will not "remain indifferent to the increase of American strategic potential on its borders," he added.

Lavrov's comments came on the eve of a visit to Russia by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who since taking office in November has pledged to mend ties with Moscow.

Russian-Polish relations were frosty under Tusk's conservative-nationalist predecessor Jaroslaw Kaczynski, whose government gave gung-ho support to the US missile plan.

Tusk's administration has adopted a more cautious approach.

Amid concerns about the potential risks of hosting US missile interceptors, Warsaw has been pressing Washington to help upgrade the Polish armed forces, and notably to boost the country's air-defence systems.

Polish Defence Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in Washington last week that he had secured an agreement in principle for aid to modernise Polish air defences in return for Warsaw's hosting the controversial US missile shield.

But he added that "a great deal of work" remains, while his host, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, spoke of "some progress" and "some momentum" on missile defence.

earlier related report
Czech-US negotiators map out NATO link for anti-missile radar
Czech and US negotiators said Thursday they had reached agreement on how a planned US anti-missile radar sited in the Czech Republic could form part of a broader NATO missile defence system.

"Today, to all intents, we reached agreement on language in the agreement that discusses how a radar in the Czech Republic would contribute to the greater defence of the NATO alliance," US Assistant Secretary of State John Rood said.

"I think this is a very good success," Czech Deputy Foreign Minister Tomas Pojar told the same news conference.

Both negotiators refused to give details of their agreement which could pave the way for the radar's inclusion in a broader NATO missile defence system.

NATO has repeatedly stressed that the US decision to expand its missile defence shield into central Europe is a bilateral issue between Washington on one hand and Prague and Warsaw on the other.

The issue is likely to be discussed at the NATO alliance's April summit in Bucharest. "I am convinced that at Bucharest we can go forward," Pojar said.

He added that on the wider issue of the radar's operation in the Czech Republic, it was "more a question of weeks than months that this agreement will be reached".

However, he said the US still had to meet Prague's demands and agree to some of its proposals.

The proposed Czech radar would be twinned with 10 interceptor missiles in neighbouring Poland which Washington says could counter the threat of an attack from "rogue" states such as Iran.

The framework for the radar's operation is one of three agreements being hammered out between Prague and Washington -- the others concern the rules governing a foreign base and the involvement of Czech firms in the shield development.

Negotiations on the missile shield began after the centre-right Czech government came to power in early 2007. It has refused to allow a referendum on the radar, saying lawmakers should approve the project.

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