Czech Republic to launch talks with U.S. over missile defense base

The Czech National Security Council agreed on Wednesday to start talks with the United States on establishing a U.S. military radar system in the Czech republic.

Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said the process of negotiation and ratification would take around one year.

The security council had asked Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg and Defense Minister Vlasta Parkanova to set up an expert team to advise on the location of the radar base, Topolanek said.

Topolanek dismissed criticisms that the U.S. radars located in the Czech Republic might threaten the country's relations with Russia and China.

"This defence system cannot be used for defense against Russian ballistic missiles," he said, responding to Russian concerns that it would be an obvious threat to Russia.

President Vaclav Klaus said he planned to discuss the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in April.

The United States wants to deploy a missile defense radar system in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland. The operation is going to start in 2011 and the location of the base will be decided early this year.

Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said on Saturday that the United States had officially asked the Czech government to start talks on the location of the radar defense base in the Czech Republic.

Source: Xinhua