by Marcus Papadopoulos

THE United States will proceed in developing a missile defence system for Eastern Europe, US Vice President Joe Biden said last weekend at an international gathering of senior statesmen.

Speaking at the 45th Munich Security Conference, Mr Biden reiterated the Obama administration’s stance on Washington’s controversial plan to install a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic.

He said: “We will continue to develop missile defences to counter a growing Iranian capability, provided the technology is proven to work and cost effective.”

In an attempt to improve American-Russo relations, which deteriorated rapidly during the Bush years, Mr Biden said that deploying a missile shield in Europe would be undertaken in “consultation” with Russia.

He added: “It is time to press the reset button and to revisit the many areas where we can and should work together.” Mr Biden cited Afghanistan as an example of where Washington and Moscow have mutual interests.

However, the issue of Afghanistan brought another headache to American planners last week when the President of Kyrgyzstan announced that the US military base at Manas, near the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, would be closed this year.

The base is used to transit American troops and materials to Afghanistan and has been described as “very significant”.

The announcement was made during a visit to Moscow by Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev in which the Russian government promised to loan the poverty-stricken central Asian republic $2 billion.

The results of the Kyrgyz leader’s trip to Moscow prompted speculation that Russia was using its position as the dominant power in central Asia to eliminate any trace of American influence in the region.

Central Asia has witnessed a return to what Arthur Conolly described in the 19th century as the Great Game – during which Tsarist Russia and the British Empire strived for influence there. Now Britain has been replaced by the US.