The next rounds of negotiations between the United States and the Czech Republic on the stationing of a US radar base on Czech soil will be held in Prague in late January, according to information from the Czech news agency CTK on Tuesday.

 

The Czech Defense Ministry is to negotiate with U.S. representatives on January 28-30.

 

The Defense Ministry deals with the legal conditions of the U.S. troops' stay, while the Foreign Ministry negotiates about the main treaty concerning the base.

 

The United States initiated the plan to deploy an anti-missile radar base in the Czech Republic and a missile interceptor base in Poland earlier last year. Negotiations between the Czech Republic and the United States are underway.

 

Poland has been negotiating with the United States about the base, too. New polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently said that Poland should not make the decision on the base prematurely.

 

He is to visit Prague on Thursday, mainly to discuss the issue of missile defense in central Europe.

 

Topolanek said the Czech Republic and Poland want to avoid the situation where they would approve the bases, but a new U.S. administration would then reject the project.

 

Both Topolanek and Tusk plan to individually meet U.S. President George Bush over the missile defense bases this winter.

 

According to a recent public opinion poll, 70 percent of Czech citizens oppose the installation of the base. Parties in the coalition government are divided on the issue, either.

 

Russia has also expressed strong objection to the U.S. missile defense program in Poland and the Czech Republic.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 9, 2008)