Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said on Sunday the United States would have the final say on launching interceptor missiles from eastern Europe to protect against attacks on Europe or the United States.
The planned radar station in the Czech Republic's Brdy area would be part of the NATO defense structure, but it is up to the U.S. military authorities to decide whether to press the launch button for interceptor missiles, Schwarzenberg said during a television debate.
A decision on starting the missile defense system must be made within seconds after a possible missile attack is identified, but NATO's complex decision-making mechanism will not get involved in the process, he said.
The United States wants to deploy ground-based interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic as part of its missile defense shield. But Russia strongly opposes the plan, saying it poses a threat to the security of the country.
The Czech Republic and Poland are in talks with the United States on the missile defense plans.
A new round of talks on building a radar base in the Czech Republic will start in late October, Schwarzenberg said. The negotiations are expected to be concluded early next year.
Source: Xinhua
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