Wikileaks - secret NATO plans against Russian attack of Poland

As President Dmitry Medvedev ends his visit to Warsaw today, it has been revealed that Washington

Presidents Medvedev and Komorowski in Warsaw yesterday; photo - PAP/Jacek Turczyk

has drawn up classified plans to defend Poland and the Baltic states from Russian attack, according to a cable released by Wikileaks.

Nine NATO divisions made up of Polish, German US and British troops have been assigned combat duties in the event of an attack on Poland or the Baltic states by Russia, according to cables marked ‘secret’ by Admiral James Stavridis from the US mission to NATO in Brussels.

The policy - referred to as ‘Eastern Guardian’ - was agreed on 22 January this year and will jar with President Obama’s recent declaration that NATO-Russian relations have been “re-set”.

The revelations that NATO has, for the first time since the end of the Cold War, fully drawn up contingency plans to defend Poland from Russian attack could be embarrassing coming just hours after President Bronislaw Komorowski and President Dmitry Medvedev describing Warsaw and Moscow as entering a historic “new chapter”of closer, more cordial relations.

The cable states that: “On January 22, NATO's Military Committee agreed to expand EAGLE GUARDIAN, the Alliance's contingency plan for the reinforcement and defense of Poland, to also include the defense and reinforcement of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.”

Another cable sent from the US embassy in Warsaw on 18 December 2009 on the Eastern Guardian plans says:“Poland strongly agrees with the necessity of contingency planning for the Baltic States but would like to avoid delays in the completion of the EAGLE GUARDIAN plan for Poland.

However, both Komorowski and Kobieracki suggested that Poland might be able to accept a "creatively packaged" plan that included separate but complementary components ("chapters") for Poland and the Baltic States. They agreed that discussions should not be made public. END SUMMARY.”

Christmas present

The US embassy in Tallinn describes the Estonian reaction to the ’contingency plans’ against a Russian attack as “an early Christmas present” in yet another cable released today.

“[Paul Teesalu, director of Estonian’s Foreign Ministry Security Policy Division] welcomed the information and called it an "early Christmas present." Teesalu was pleased to see a clear plan to add the Baltic States to Eagle Guardian, and thought this the best option for easily including the Baltic region in contingency planning. Teesalu also fully agreed that all such discussion should be conducted out of the public eye, stating that Estonia is looking for, "solidarity, not visibility," says the cable.

The revelations come as Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is arrested in the UK on a European Arrest Warrant issued by Sweden in connection with sex charge allegations. (pg)

@The News