Czech Chamber of Deputies deputy chairman Lubomir Zaoralek considered on Wednesday the U.S. offer to Moscow for the Russians to be present at the planned U.S. missile defense radar base on Czech soil as unacceptable.
Although U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates promised in Prague that no U.S.-Russian agreement would be signed without the Czech Republic's consent, such an approach on the part of the great power could threaten Czech sovereignty and could mean an "inadmissible return of the bipolar world," Zaoralek said.
He said Gates's promise that the United States would consult Prague on all steps in its talks with Russia is insufficient.
Czech Senate chairman Premysl Sobotka described the possibility of the presence of Russian soldiers at the U.S. base on Czech territory as a huge problem for the Czech Republic and as a practically unacceptable possibility.
Gates arrived in Prague for a working visit on Monday, one week before another round of talks between Czech and U.S. officials on the plan.
During his talk with Topolanek, Gates said that the United States could allow a Russian presence at planned U.S. missile defense sites in eastern Europe to increase the plan's transparency.
The Czech Republic is in talks with the United States on the missile defense plan, as is Poland. Washington expects to hear the final decision from Prague next year.
A recent opinion poll showed more than two-thirds of Czech citizens oppose the establishment of the base.
Source:Xinhua
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