Rice calls Russian threat to Poland 'bizarre'

Dubai: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Warsaw on Thursday said Russian reaction over a US-Poland deal to install a silo of 10 interceptor missiles on the Baltic Coast "bordered on the bizarre".

The deal, signed at a ceremony in Warsaw with Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski, would allow for a deployment by 2012.

Russia has already promised to target the new installation, warning Poland that agreeing to the deal exposed it "100 per cent" to Russian military strikes, possibly with nuclear missiles.

Her comments came as Russia began pulling tanks and troops back over its frontier, pledging all forces would quit Georgia's heartland by tonight, but the United States demanded it leave "now".

Also yesterday, Syrian President Bashar Al Assad voiced support for Russia in the conflict with Georgia and won promises from Moscow of fresh arms sales during talks with President Dmitry Medvedev.