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Talking PointNation divided over plan to locate US radar base 70km from Prague
The United States' plan to extend its missile defence system to Central
Europe has not only angered its old Cold War adversary Russia, it's also
prompted a lively debate in the countries that would be on the sharp end
of it. If all goes to plan, Poland would host an interceptor base - meant
to shoot down incoming missiles from countries such as Iran - while the
Czech Republic would host a radar station - meant to track those missiles
as soon as they break cloud cover. The Czech government has said a
cautious "yes" to the facility, which would be built in a range
of hills about 70 kilometres from Prague in the Brdy military grounds. More
Current AffairsCzech Republic welcomes Schengen agreement
It was a decision that the Czech Republic and eight other EU newcomers had
long been pushing for. The enlargement of the Schengen border free zone to
nine of the ten states which joined the EU in 2004 on December 31 2007 will
mean an end to border checks and airport controls and will finally give
their citizens complete freedom of movement within the European Union.
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Talking PointCzech-U.S. relations dominated by visa, missile defense issues
Last week United States President George W. Bush announced plans to modify
his nation's visa waiver program to raise the number of countries whose
citizens can enter the U.S. without a visa. The announcement was made
during a trip to Estonia, and was received by Czechs with great interest,
as the Czech Republic is one country that could stand to benefit from a
change in U.S. visa policy. Because U.S. citizens are allowed to enter the
Czech Republic for a short period without a visa, but Czechs are unable to
do the same, it is an issue that festers at the core of bilateral
relations between the two countries.
More
Current AffairsVondra - US will offer Czechs anti-missile radar system, Poles interceptor base
The Czech foreign minister Alexandr Vondra appeared to confirm this week
what defence analysts have been speculating upon for some time: if the
United States decides to place part of its missile defence system in
Europe, the Czech Republic will almost certainly be asked to host a radar
and tracking station, not a full-blown missile base. However there are
still many hurdles to be overcome before work on such a facility can
begin.
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Current AffairsCzechs may benefit from proposed changes in U.S. visa policy
On Tuesday U.S. President George W. Bush announced plans to modify his
country's visa waiver program that would raise the number of countries
whose citizens can enter the United States without a visa. This move could
affect the Czech Republic, allowing its citizens to travel to the U.S. on
business or pleasure for 90 days without going through the arduous process
of obtaining a visa. Emily Udell has the report.
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