Foreign Ministry offers Russia reciprocal inspection missions

The Czech Foreign Ministry says it is prepared to open talks with Russia on reciprocal inspection missions to military bases in the two countries. The offer comes in response to Moscow’s demand for a permanent Russian military presence at a planned US radar base in the Czech Republic, which would be part of the US missile defense shield. Czech Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zuzana Opletalová said on Thursday that any agreement regarding inspection missions to the radar base would have to be reached with Prague and that there was no support whatsoever for the idea of a permanent Russian military presence in the country. Czech and American government officials are expected to sign an agreement on the radar base in early May but it will still have to be approved by Parliament.