George Bush: Czech Republic and US are very close to radar agreement

US president George Bush said on Wednesday that his country was “very close” to signing an agreement with the Czech Republic on building an American radar base in central Bohemia. Mr Bush made his remarks after meeting with Czech prime minister Mirek Topolánek in Washington. Mr Topolanek, for his part, said that only some small details needed to be sorted out and that negotiations on the issue would be concluded very shortly.

On his way to Washington Mr Topolánek had said he expected an agreement would be signed on the US base around the time of a NATO summit in Bucharest at the beginning of April. He said discussions in the US capital would look at how the US anti-missile system would be linked to NATO structures and Russia’s opposition to the plan. Czech negotiators are also demanding that their country’s scientists be given a role in anti-missile research and development.

The planned US radar base would be part of a global anti-missile defence shield linked to a missile base in neighbouring Poland. Opinion polls have consistently suggested that most Czechs are opposed to it.

Author: Coilin O'Connor