Posted on 04/27/2007 2:09:05 PM PDT by lizol
Czech Republic to want security guarantees in exchange for US radar
Apr 27, 2007, 15:43 GMT
Prague - The Czech Republic will want security guarantees in exchange for hosting a radar base for the planned US anti-missile shield, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said in an interview published Friday.
'Stronger cooperation between the United States and the Czech Republic in research and on some projects, or an exchange of intelligence information,' he listed what these could be in a report by the Hospodarske noviny daily.
The minister's statements mark a shift in the Czech government's rhetoric. Until now Czech officials - unlike their Polish counterparts who want the US to place Patriot missiles in Poland - have not said if and what they will want from the US in exchange for the base.
However, Schwarzenberg said, the Czech Republic will not follow the Polish lead. 'We are not in Poland's situation,' he said of the Polish request for Patriots. 'I would not want any missiles here. I would find that rather damaging.'
The US has requested that the Czech Republic and Poland host a tracking radar and 10 interceptor missiles respectively for its anti-missile defence shield, being developed against potential missiles from so-called rogue states.
The plan to place facilities for the shield in Central Europe - a step which, the US says, will protect Europe from potential Iranian long-range missiles - has been fiercely attacked by Russia and has caused a stir across Europe.
The first round of the US-Czech bilateral talks on the issue is scheduled for May 10, according to earlier reports citing Schwarzenberg said.
Considering how the Czechs were sold out in 1938 at Munich, can’t say that I blame them for wanting guarantees.
This seems like a reasonable exchange to me. It probably benefits them more than it does us, but I think we have little to lose by it ourselves and much to gain.
Sounds fair. Maybe they'd like us to park an armored division over there as well.
Considering the women over there, I think that would be a gig a lot of the single soldiers would gladly sign up for.
Why not just put the radar on top of the US Embassy?
anything we can do to work closely with eastern europe countries and piss off western (old) europe ones is OK with me.
“...being developed against potential missiles from so-called rogue states.”
“So-called rogue states”??? If someone fires a missile at Poland, it ain’t going to be at the behest of the international community.
I dated a woman from the Czech Republic. You don’t know how right you are! For some reason, a large number of women from the Czech Republic are gorgeous.
How can we be certain the Czechs are not Islamic Extremists?
Any chance we can move it out of Germany ;)
what you mean we cant give them to Germans again
They aren’t so radical, even recently allow Christians to enter the country! You are safe as long as you stay away from mosques and holy cities. Fair deal IMHO :)
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