<div id="subtitle">Romanian president says country will host US anti-ballistic missile interceptors</div><div><p>Romania's top defense body on Thursday approved a U.S. proposal to place anti-ballistic missile interceptors in the country as part of a revamped American missile shield, the president said.</p><p>Romania will host "ground capabilities to intercept missiles" that will increase its national security and go into operation starting in 2015, President Traian Basescu said.</p><p>"Romania will not host a system directed against Russia, but against other threats," Basescu said, adding that the measure was not directed against Russia.</p><p>The U.S. State Department confirmed the plan.</p><p>"Romania has agreed to host a Standard Missile 3 interceptor as part of the administration's new missile defense plan ... to protect U.S. forward-deployed troops and our NATO allies against current and emerging ballistic missile threats from Iran," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters in Washington.</p><p>Crowley also tried to assuage Russian fears, saying "as we have made clear over and over again, this is not a capability that is directed at Russia."</p><p>U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden visited Romania in October as part of his tour of Central Europe, where he presented a revamped U.S. missile shield plan to replace a scrapped Bush-era plan to install interceptors in Poland and radar in the Czech Republic.</p><p>Basescu said the old U.S. plan only protected a small part of Romania but the new one "guarantees full coverage of Romanian territory" in case of a hostile ballistic or mid-range missile attack.</p><p>The decision by Romania's Supreme Defense Council came after a meeting between Basescu and U.S. Under Secretary of state for arms control Ellen Tauscher.</p><p>Basescu said bilateral negotiations will start soon with the U.S. on this issue and the accord must be approved by parliament.</p><p>___</p><p>Associated Press Writer Matt Lee contributed to this report from Washington.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=68457279&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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