Topolanek (Civic Democrats, ODS) left Czech-U.S.
radar treaty to include chapter on link with NATO ...
Patria offers Czechs to supply first 30 APCs within four months ...
German Scientists Discover New Planet Outside Solar System ... for the USA last night. He is to meet U.S. President George Bush on Wednesday. The issues Topolanek is to negotiate in Washington include the linking of the U.S. missile defence shield with NATO, Czech-U.S. cooperation in science and research, and Russia's stance towards the U.S. intention to build elements of its missile defence shield in Central Europe. Russia is critical of the USA's plan to build a radar base in the Czech Republic and an interceptor missile base in Poland. Russia says it does not believe the U.S. explanations that the planned shield in Central Europe is not meant against it. The USA says these elements of its missile shield are to protect a big part of Europe and the United States against missiles that dangerous states like Iran or North Korea might launch. Topolanek said he intended to present the Czech Republic in Washington as a fundamental part of NATO and prepare soil for the forthcoming NATO summit. "We need to be part of collective defence and take active part in it," Topolanek said. The signing of the radar-related treaties also depends on the approach of Poland. Topolanek consulted his negotiations with Warsaw before his trip to the USA. Besides, the Czech Republic also has to deal with the "Central European problem" of the potential sphere of Russian influence, Topolanek said. Topolanek, who heads the government council for science and research, will also negotiate the planned Czech-U.S. framework agreement on cooperation in science and research that is to be tied with the negotiations on the radar base. He said he hoped to achieve a great progress in this respect in Washington. "I consider it a much more fundamental step than the technical matters concerning the radar," Topolanek said. He said U.S. experts have already selected 15 fields of "preferential interest" in research. The USA is to support, for example, the nanofibre project of the university in Liberec, north Bohemia. The USA has an agreement on cooperation in science with only several countries such as Australia, Britain and Japan. The Czech Republic has been negotiating with the USA about the possible location of a U.S. missile defence radar base in the Brdy military area, some 90km southwest of Prague, for about a year now. The Czech centre-right government favours the project, while the left opposition and 70 percent of Czech citizens are opposed to the base, according to public opinion polls. Besides the main agreement on the construction of the radar base, the two countries also negotiate about defining the legal conditions for the stay of U.S. troops in the Czech Republic. Both treaties have to be approved by Czech parliament.
(Ceske Noviny)
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