Pending missile deal by Claudia Sonea

Shall they sign? Who knows, but both US President George W. Bush and Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said Wednesday they are about to reach an agreement on a radar for a planned US missile shield that has angered Russia. Furthermore, Topolanek stated that they are just three words away from signing. On Tuesday Bush and Topolanek already signed an accord that could help secure visa-free travel for Czech citizens to the United States later this year, but also it stirred concerns for UE because the document could set a precedent, and impose new security restrictions on US-bound travellers beyond those agreed between Brussels and Washington. Also the memorandum could see Prague hand over information about air travellers who are simply flying over US territory. After the two political personalities mentioned above met in the Oval Office through an interpreter, the Czech Prime Minister revealed that the details are very important and that sometimes a word might lead to its annulment. The American side wishes to deploy a missile defense radar in the Czech Republic and house 10 interceptor missiles in Poland (who meets March 10 with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk) by 2012 as part of a missile shield he says will defend the United States and its allies from "rogue" states like Iran. This being seen by Russia like a threat to its security harking back to the Cold War, and have aroused some domestic opposition in the Czech Republic, although Bush confesses that it is not an anti-Russian system. The Czech side wants for environmental protection to be guaranteed and that is why the environmental guidelines for any US presence in his country are stalling the signing. Moreover, they are opposing the idea of hosting Russian observers, proposed by Bush as part of a confidence-building plan to ease Moscow's concerns. What will happen next? Well, Topolanek says there will be definitely a signing.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080227/pl_afp/usczechmissiledefensediplomacy;_ylt=Ajwwqfe0ICKQz8wbvDrzTvKs0NUE

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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