Czechs protest outside Parliament against missile shield plans .
James Jones | 15.02.2007 18:04 | Anti-militarism | World
Several hundred people protested outside parliament Tuesday evening against plans to let the United States install part of its missile shield system at a Czech military base, AFP reported.Some demonstrators set up tents and paper models of radars and missiles during the protest, which was organized by the "No Bases" movement."We want the citizens of the Czech Republic to be able to express their views on the question of installing this radar base on their country's territory," one of the organizers, Jan Tamas, told reporters.
The center-right government of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek has already said it supports the U.S. request to use its military base at Jince, in the Brdy hills south of Prague.But both houses of parliament will have to approve the proposal, and lower house lawmakers appear to be divided on the issue.
The U.S. embassy in Prague said the planned deployment of 200 to 400 U.S. military personnel and technicians from 2011 would represent an investment of 1.6 billion dollars (1.3 billion euros).But the main opposition Social Democrats have called for a referendum on the question.The Communist Party has organized a series of protest demonstrations, arguing that any deployment could provoke another Cold War.The "No Bases" movement claims to have gathered 12,000 signatures against the U.S. missile shield.The Polish government is not planning to hold a referendum on a U.S. proposal to base a missile interceptor site, Defense Minister Aleksander Szczyglo said Tuesday, Xinhua reported.During his visit to Moscow on Monday, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of the co-ruling Self-defense Party Andrzej Lepper said his party would seek to hold such referendum, the PAP news agency reported.
Lepper should have informed the prime minister and the foreign minister about the matter, Szczyglo said in a radio interview.
The United States asked Poland and the Czech Republic last month to resume negotiations on the construction of anti-missile bases, and both have agreed.
The United States intends to build a base for underground rocket silos in Poland and has radar systems established in the Czech Republic.According to a latest poll, 53 percent of the Poles opposed the deployment of the U.S. anti-missile system in their country.
The center-right government of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek has already said it supports the U.S. request to use its military base at Jince, in the Brdy hills south of Prague.But both houses of parliament will have to approve the proposal, and lower house lawmakers appear to be divided on the issue.
The U.S. embassy in Prague said the planned deployment of 200 to 400 U.S. military personnel and technicians from 2011 would represent an investment of 1.6 billion dollars (1.3 billion euros).But the main opposition Social Democrats have called for a referendum on the question.The Communist Party has organized a series of protest demonstrations, arguing that any deployment could provoke another Cold War.The "No Bases" movement claims to have gathered 12,000 signatures against the U.S. missile shield.The Polish government is not planning to hold a referendum on a U.S. proposal to base a missile interceptor site, Defense Minister Aleksander Szczyglo said Tuesday, Xinhua reported.During his visit to Moscow on Monday, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of the co-ruling Self-defense Party Andrzej Lepper said his party would seek to hold such referendum, the PAP news agency reported.
Lepper should have informed the prime minister and the foreign minister about the matter, Szczyglo said in a radio interview.
The United States asked Poland and the Czech Republic last month to resume negotiations on the construction of anti-missile bases, and both have agreed.
The United States intends to build a base for underground rocket silos in Poland and has radar systems established in the Czech Republic.According to a latest poll, 53 percent of the Poles opposed the deployment of the U.S. anti-missile system in their country.
James Jones
