WASHINGTON – The United States expects to reach a deal soon on basing 10 missile interceptors in Poland as part of its European missile defense project, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

“We very much would like to conclude an agreement and do so in the very near future,” said State Department spokesman Tom Casey.

“We've had these conversations for a long time, and I think you'd see a resolution of this somewhere in the coming days. But whether that's in a week or two weeks, I'm not really in a position to say,” Casey told reporters.

Washington wants to install the interceptor rockets in Poland and a tracking radar in the Czech Republic to shield the United States and its allies from attack by what it calls ”rogue” states, particularly Iran. Russia opposes the plan.

The United States has already reached an agreement with the Czech Republic about the radar and a U.S. official who asked not to be named said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice planned to visit Prague next week to formally sign that deal.

Asked if the Bush administration hoped to strike a deal with Poland in time for Rice to sign it in Europe next week, that U.S. official said: “It would be nice but, you know, I am not making any predictions.”

Talks with Poland have progressed far enough for the Pentagon to indicate Washington will not likely need to pursue formal negotiations with Lithuania for an alternate site. U.S. officials had said Lithuania would be an appropriate back-up if talks with Poland failed.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas at the Pentagon Tuesday.

“The secretary expressed his appreciation for the Lithuanian's willingness to consider hosting interceptors in their country but also shared with them his hope that that will not be necessary,” Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said.

(Editing by Eric Walsh)