Turkey to host NATO missile-defense radar

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Turkey says it has reached agreement on the deployment of a radar on its territory as part of NATO's missile-defense system.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on September 1 that discussions "have reached their final stages."

Leaders of the 28-member NATO alliance endorsed plans in Lisbon last year to launch a Europe-wide ballistic missile shield.

The statement said the Turkish contribution will "strengthen NATO's defense capacity and Turkey's national defense system."

It did not say when or where the radar would be stationed.

Under the NATO plan, a system of U.S. antimissile interceptors and radars already planned for Europe -- to include interceptors in Romania and Poland as well as the radar in Turkey -- will be linked to European-owned missile defenses.

Russia opposes the planned system, arguing that it could threaten or undermine its own security.

compiled from agency reports

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