Lavrov accused Washington of preparing "not only a third, but also a fourth and fifth region in which to station (missile shield elements) and not just close to Russia's European borders."

"We're asking these questions of our American partners," he said.

Lavrov spoke during a visit to Poland, the first by a senior Russian leader to an EU member state since Russia's war with Georgia in August and Poland's agreement that same month to host part of the complex US missle shield system.

In an article published in Polish news media Thursday, Lavrov repeated the Kremlin's view that the missile shield targets Russia, rather than any potential threat from "rogue states" such as Iran.

"A simple military analysis proves that a US base in Europe for global anti-missile defence has no other, and for many years will have no other, target but Russian missiles," Lavrov wrote in the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper.

"All objective experts understand that Iran's missiles pose no threat to Europe and even less to the United States."

Clearly trying to reassure Lavrov, Poland's foreign minister said US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama would only proceed with basing the missile shield in Poland if he is sure it isn't meant for Russia.

"In talks with me, senator Obama made the realisation of our (missile shield) agreement conditional on whether he will be certain that the system is not aimed against Russia," Radoslaw Sikorski told reporters alongside Lavrov.

"In a mini-military briefing given before yesterday to senator McCain in which I participated, I can say that what the candidate was told about the purpose of the (missile shield) system has nothing to do with Russia," Sikorski said, referring to Obama's Republican rival John McCain.

"So we hope that Russian fears over this agreement will dissipate with time," Sikorski said.

Lavrov said that while Russia saw not threat from Poland, it felt "there are risks to the security of the Russian Federation that are occurring as a result of American infrastructure coming closer to our borders".

Poland and the United States signed a deal on August 14 taking forword the missile shield programme.

Washington will position 10 interceptor missiles in Poland -- plus a radar facility in neighbouring Czech Republic -- by 2011-2013 to complete a system already in place in the Britain, Greenland and the United States.

The United States says the shield -- endorsed by NATO leaders in February -- is tailored to fend off potential missile strikes by "rogue states" such as Iran, and it insists it is not directed at Russia.

The Kremlin, however, regards it as a grave security threat, and on Wednesday it threatened to turn its own missiles towards missile shield facilities in Europe.

Turning to Georgia, Lavrov said South Ossetia has no intention of joining the Russian Federation, as claimed by the breakaway region's leader who soon retracted his remarks.

"I don't know where you have heard this information. South Ossetia doesn't want to enter anywhere," Lavrov said, after South Ossetian separatist leader Eduard Kokoity was quoted by a Russian news agency as saying his Georgian breakaway region wanted to be part of Russia.

Kokoity later backtracked on his remarks.

related report
Romania favours NATO missile shield in EU, Balkans
Romania favours a NATO missile shield to protect European Union member-states from "third country" threats, the Romanian defence minister said during a visit to Greece on Thursday.

"NATO should plan for... a missile shield to protect all European Union countries, including Bulgaria, Greece and Romania," Teodor Melescanu told reporters after talks with his Greek counterpart Evangelos Meimarakis.

"We have discussed that (Romania) can also cooperate in such a project in the future," he said according to a Greek defence ministry statement.

"In our opinion it would be best for European Union countries to have their own protection system as regards... the possibility of problems created by third states," he said.

Melescanu had been asked about reports that a controversial US missile defence shield against Iranian attacks might be extended to Romania after the Czech Republic and Poland.

He later clarified that Romania was not planning to join the US shield plans which have drawn vehement opposition from Russia.

Washington will position 10 interceptor missiles in Poland -- plus a radar facility in neighbouring Czech Republic -- by 2011-2013 to complete a system already in place in the Britain, Greenland and the United States.

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