The budget issue of the radar base that the United States is planning to deploy in Czech has become a common political battle of U.S. parties, Czech government spokesman for the radar Tomas Klvana said on Thursday.
"This is a common political battle between the Democrats and the Republicans over the money," said Klvana after meeting with Jan Zizka, the initiator of an open letter calling for a referendum on the issue.
Although the building of the missile defense system in Europe is not a political topic in the United States, but the situation is different when its budget is concerned, said Klvana.
Members of the U.S. Congress will visit the Czech Republic to discuss the issue, according to Klvana.
The meeting between Klvana and Zizka did not eliminate the differences of opinion that regards the necessity of a referendum on the possible radar installation in the Czech Republic.
Zizka initiated an open letter in favor of a referendum on the radar base that was signed by 50 Czech prominent personalities who gave it to President Vaclav Klaus.
The Czech government is against the referendum, but Klvana praised Zizka's initiative because it has triggered a public discussion on the issue in the Czech Republic.
U.S. experts will make a topographical study of a locality, which is two km away from Misov and some 90 km southwest of Prague and is the place for the planned base, Klavna said on Wednesday.
According to a recent public opinion poll, more than two thirds of Czech citizens disagree with the installation of the base. The government parties are not united on the issue either.
The United States unveiled its plan in January to place a radar system in the Czech Republic and 10 interceptor missiles in Poland, as components of the missile defense shield. The United States expects the Czechs to give a clear final answer on the base after Jan. 1, 2008.
Source: Xinhua
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