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Poland ratifies SOFA deal on U.S. troop presence

RIA Novosti

27/02/201007:34

WARSAW, February 27 (RIA Novosti) - Polish President Lech Kaczynski has ratified the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the U.S., laying out the conditions for the deployment of U.S. troops on Polish soil, his administration said.

According to the SOFA, about 100 U.S. troops will service up to eight U.S. Patriot missile launchers that are to be integrated into Poland's national security system.

"The Polish president ratified the February 12 bill on ratifying the SOFA agreement, signed in Warsaw on February 11, 2009," the presidential administration said in a statement.

Poland said in late January it will deploy a battery of U.S. Patriot missiles to the town of Morag, just 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, rather than outside Warsaw.

Patriot theater air defense systems, designed to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft, were initially part of U.S.-Polish missile shield deal and Warsaw insisted on their deployment going ahead despite the change in U.S. plans.