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Talks on between U.S., Czech on anti-missile radar base

PRAGUE: The access of Czechs to the planned U.S. radar base on Czech soil, conditions of operation in the radar’s surroundings, the use of weapons, the legal status of the base and its staff will be discussed by Czech and U.S. experts in Prague on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The talks at the Czech Defence Ministry will focus on SOFA agreement that defines the legal framework of the radar base and of the possible stay of the base’s U.S. staff on Czech territory, the Czech news agency CTK reported. The 10-member team of U.S. negotiators, headed by Jackson McDonald from the U.S. Department of State and the Czech delegation, headed by Ivan Dvorak from the Defence Ministry, will exchange their positions. Negotiations about the other agreement, dealing with the conditions and circumstances of the radar’s location, were held at the Czech Foreign Ministry last Wednesday.

The delegations, led by Czech Deputy Foreign Minister Tomas Pojar and high-ranking U.S. diplomat John Rood, completed talks on about a half points in the draft agreement.

The Americans who would work at the possible U.S. radar base do not want to inhabit the nearby barracks the Soviet Military abandoned in the past, which the Czech negotiators have offered them for accommodation.

U.S. soldiers prefer constructing their own new building. According to the Czech media, the agreements should enable the Czechs to ask the Americans to remove the radar installation any time. The radar base should be operated by about 200 people, including 120 U.S. soldiers.

The United States unveiled its plan in January to place a radar system in the Czech Republic and 10 long-range interceptor missiles in Poland capable of shooting down missiles.

A recent opinion poll showed more than two-thirds of Czech citizens oppose the establishment of the base. — Xinhua

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