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Politics : America Under Siege: The End of Innocence -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: joseph krinsky who wrote (8447)	10/24/2001 9:31:53 AM
From: joseph krinsky	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27666

France gets it right: France Deploys Surface-to-Air Missiles at Key Nuclear Sites as Defense Against Terror Attacks The Associated Press Published: Oct 24, 2001 PARIS (AP) - The French military has stationed surface-to-air missiles at key military and nuclear processing sites in western France as a precaution against airborne suicide attacks, defense officials said Wednesday. The anti-aircraft missile defense systems were positioned to protect a military base for nuclear submarines at Ile Longue, off the Brittany coast, and the nuclear waste reprocessing plant at La Hague, said an air force spokesman, Frederic Solano. The installation started Tuesday and was expected to be finished by Thursday, the defense ministry said. Radar systems capable of scouting out airplanes flying at low altitudes were already moved into the two sites Friday. Solano said the radar and missile systems "enable us to identify aircraft ... and if necessary to shoot them down." A defense ministry spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the missiles "complement planes that are already on alert." The ministry had previously said it also could use fighter planes to shoot down aircraft picked up on radar screens. The officials said there had been no threats against France and the measures were purely precautionary. France has been bolstering defense in the northwest since the Sept. 11 attacks, because many of the country's air bases are located in the south. Officials said that details about the missiles and other possible sites under protection were being kept confidential for security reasons. La Hague is home to Europe's largest nuclear reprocessing plant. It stocks 8,250 tons of nuclear fuel, officials say. After the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the site shut its doors to visits by the public because of safety fears. AP-ES-10-24-01 0727EDT ap.tbo.com