Rice says US will continue with former missile defense plans

In related news, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that the US will continue with former plans for stationing US bases in Central Europe, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal on Thursday that the US could deploy its radar and missile defense system outside the region. Ms Rice made clear on Friday that Mr Putin's proposal had come as a surprise to the US, but said it was worth considering even though negotiations between the US, the Czech Republic, and Poland would continue.