Former PM and Social Democrat chairman supports deployment of US radar base

Former Social Democrat Prime Minister Stanislav Gross has told the tabloid daily Sip that he supports the stationing of a US radar base in the Czech Republic. The Social Democrat Party as a whole is against the base. The party is calling for a referendum on the issue and wants the base to be part of NATO's defence system. Deputy chairman of the Social Democrats, Zdenek Skromach, has said he is not surprised by Mr Gross's view. He said some party members were in favour of the radar base but the majority were against it.