The main treaty on the building of the U.S. radar base on Czech soil will be ready for signature at the turn of April and May at the earliest, Czech first deputy foreign minister Tomas Pojar said on Tuesday.
"The negotiations on the main treaty on the radar should be completed by the Bucharest NATO summit that is held next week, but it will be ready for signature at the turn of April and May at the earliest," chief negotiator on the radar base Pojar told Czech daily Hospodarske noviny.
However, the government has not yet agreed on any date of signing the main Czech-U.S. treaty on the stationing of a U.S. radar base on Czech soil, deputy foreign minister Tomas Pojar said later, referring to the reports of the daily that the treaty mightbe signed on May 5 or April 28.
The paper wrote that Czech and U.S. representatives might sign the treaty in Prague in May 5 on the occasion of a NATO conference on anti-missile defense, or in the United States on April 28 during the planned visit by Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg.
No such deadline has been specified since the final text of the treaty is still being negotiated, Pojar said.
The treaty might be completed by the NATO summit in Bucharest next week, he added.
According to the ministry, Schwarzenberg's trip is not certain with regard to his recent surgery.
Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek recently anticipated that the treaty might be signed around the NATO summit in Bucharest.
The planned NATO conference on anti-missile defense in Prague is to be attended by NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Defense Minister Vlasta Parkanova confirmed to CTK.
John Rood, U.S. undersecretary of state, will also take part in the conference. Besides, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been invited to the Czech Republic for the same time, the paper said.
The United States wants to build a radar base at the Brdy military district, some 90 km southwest of Prague, and a silo for 10 interceptor missiles in Poland as part of the missile defense shield.
The Czech government started to negotiate with the United States early last year, despite sharp criticism from Russia and opposition from two thirds of Czech citizens.
Source:Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article