The first patriot would arrive in Poland in the spring, unarmed

(BRUSSELS2) Poles and Americans finally agreed on Friday on the SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) agreement which sets the status of the American troops who will serve the Patriot rockets deployed on Polish soil in future years, as well as the future anti-missile batteries of the new US device. The agreement was signed on the American side by the Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Ellen Tauscher, and, on the Polish side, by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense and Deputy Minister of Defense, respectively Radoslaw Sikorski, Bogdan Klich and Stanislaw Komorowski.

The negotiations came up against three difficulties, according to my Polish colleagues: liability, the jurisdiction of Polish justice and taxation. The whole question was, in fact, who would pay for the damage in the event of fallout on the ground. According to the Sofa agreement, it's 75/25 (75% for the Americans, 25% for the Poles). Regarding the question of the primacy of local justice, claimed by the Poles, the principle will be jurisdictional immunity except during periods of rest or when the base is closed. In this case, the American at fault could be judged by the Polish courts. But the latter can always withdraw and abstain from translating the individual on Polish soil. Finally, in terms of taxation, it's simple: the American will pay his taxes in the USA.

The first battery of Patriot - Polish request to serve as compensation for the delay in the anti-missile shield - and the first American soldiers (there would be about 100) could arrive in Poland as early as next spring (2010). It would first be installed on a non-permanent basis, several times a year, before becoming permanent starting in 2012. The first Patriots may not be armed, the press reported. Pure speculation Sikorski replied, with this blunt argument: "If we send troops to Afghanistan, the Patriots will be armed."

(NVP)