U.S., Czech Republic work on missile defense deal
WASHINGTON (AP) - February 27, 2008 A radar facility in the Czech Republic is part of a plan that
also calls for placing 10 missile interceptors in Poland. The Bush
administration says the program is necessary to allow the United
States and Europe to deal with a potential threat from Iran or
other potential foes.
Russia is fiercely opposed to the prospect of U.S. military
installations plan.
There had been some expectation that Bush and Czech Prime
Minister Mirek Topolanek would sign an agreement on the issue
during their White House meetings Wednesday. But Bush said after
their talks that they merely had a good discussion and are now
"down to three words" to complete an agreement.
Bush declined to reveal their remaining differences, but
Topolanek said it is the Czech demand for the "strictest possible
standards" to apply to any environmental matters related to the
future U.S. military presence in his country.
"But that's just a technical matter, which is going to be
resolved very soon," the Czech leader said.
Bush said the negotiations are complicated, amounting to
essentially devising a status of forces agreement with the Czech
Republic to govern how U.S. personnel conduct themselves and under
what terms. "These are all very legitimate questions that the
prime minister is asking, and the same questions are being asked in
Poland," he said.
"There is a will to get it done," Bush said. "These aren't
easy agreements to put in place."
The leaders discussed Russia's opposition, and Bush said he was
encouraged to hear Topolanek say that it is the Czech government,
not Moscow, that will determine what happens on its soil. "He made
it clear to me that the Czech Republic will be making decisions
about who gets to come into their country."
Russia has threatened to target any future base in Poland with
its missiles, which has caused deep anxiety in Warsaw since talks
began a year ago. Though the Czechs have been generally receptive
to the idea of installing missile-tracking radar southwest of
Prague, Poland has been more reticent since a new government took
office there in November.
Any deal Topolanek signed would have to be ratified by the Czech
parliament.
"Russia is not a threat to peace," Bush said. "This is a
system to deal with threats that will be evolving in the 21st
century."
Also topping the Oval Office meeting agenda was an agreement
reached Tuesday between the United States and the Czech Republic to
move toward letting Czech citizens travel to the United States
without visas, perhaps as early as September.
Bush said the new memorandum of understanding is not the final
chapter, but that the Czech Republic is now "ahead of the line of
anybody else when it comes to a visa waiver program."
"We still have more work to do," he said. "But I'm confident
we can get it done."
"The negotiations have been really tough," Topolanek said,
while describing the developments as "a true breakthrough moment"
and "a great achievement" for his country's push to integrate
with the West since the end of Soviet domination of Eastern Europe.
The United States passed a law last year aimed at expanding its
visa-waiver program for citizens from some countries, but the
program has caused frustration in Europe because some countries
were left out.
The document outlines what the Czech government will have to do
to conclude a deal, including stepping up information-sharing with
biographic and biometric data on Czech visitors to the United
States and ensuring the tracking of lost or stolen passports.
Topolanek said his country is aware of the "risks and dangers"
from terrorism and promised Bush that he would guarantee higher
security over travelers.