Another round of Polish-American talks on missile defense starts today. Polish Foreign Affairs Minister and the American undersecretary of state John Rood meet in Warsaw. May the situation in Caucasus speed up the negotiations?

Joanna Najfeld reports

The situation in Georgia moved many people in Poland, reminding that peace is not always guaranteed. In such an atmosphere it will be easier to reach an agreement on missile defense, says Bogdan Klich, Minister of National Defense: 'We feel at the moment a greater concern for our safety. That's why every installation of the western world on the Polish territory, whether it is an American installation or a NATO one, has its meaning, because it anchors Poland more deeply to the West.'

This seems to be the general feeling. On Tuesday Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the chances of reaching a swift agreement on missile defense have risen over the past weeks.

'This week we should reach progress in the talks with the American side on the issue of missile defense. Following the events in the Caucasus, it can be seen clearly today, that these kinds of safety guarantees are needed,' said Donald Tusk.

Polish President Lech Kaczynski, on his way to Georgia on Tuesday said he welcomed the change of attitude of the government, which in his opinion, so far underestimated the importance of missile defense. President Kaczynski added that he wished the change of mind of the government had happened earlier, as "some things are obvious".

When commenting on the situation in Georgia in his televised address to the nation on Saturday, Polish President Lech Kaczynski stressed his support for the installation of American missile defense on the Polish territory. He reiterated that negotiations should be concluded as soon as possible.

Beata Gorka - Winter of the Polish Institute of International Affairs says that on top of speeding up the negotiations on the Polish side, the Georgian conflict may give Poland additional arguments to demand more security assurances from the United States, as Russia turns out to be so unpredictable: 'If the Americans want to install such sensitive defense elements on our territory, they should provide protection not only to those elements but also to Poland's territory.'

The events in Georgia definitely raised the awareness of the importance of the missile defense project, agrees Bohdan Szklarski, political analyst of Collegium Civitas: 'The Americans, the Polish, the NATO side, the European side became more keenly aware of the need for such a project and I think they are now more reluctant to listen to the Russian warnings, so that's perhaps the most important effect of the events in Georgia.'

At the same time, the Caucasus conflict made many realize the importance of anti-aircraft defense, most notably Patriot missiles on Polish territory: 'I think Poland will be even more insisting on getting it on permanent basis and I think it may have influenced slightly the American perception that perhaps having it permanently installed in Poland is not such a bad idea,' added Szklarski.

Meanwhile there has been a change in the negotiation team on Polish side. Former deputy foreign affairs minister Witold Waszczykowski is replaced by former Polish ambassador to the USA Przemysław Grudziński.