Latest round of talks on radar base concludes

The latest round of talks between Czech and US negotiators on American plans to build a radar base in central Bohemia ended on Wednesday. Among the issues on the agenda during the three-day meeting at the Czech Defence Ministry were legal jurisdiction over US soldiers based in the Czech Republic, and whether US vehicles would have Czech or American number plates. The Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolánek, is due to discuss the planned base with President George Bush on a visit to Washington in four weeks’ time. Mr Topolánek has previously indicated that the Czech Parliament would vote on the matter after a NATO summit in Romania in April. The radar base would be part of a US global anti-missile defence system and would be linked to a planned rocket base in Poland.

Author: Ian Willoughby