CZECH GOVERNMENT POSTPONED A PARLIAMENTARY VOTE ON U.S. MISSILE DEFENSE INSTALLATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.03.2009 13:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Czech government postponed a parliamentary
vote Tuesday on a deal to place a U.S. missile defense installation
in the country.

Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said the coalition government withdrew
the item because it did not have enough votes to pass. "The government
does not have a majority in the 200-seat lower house, and several
lawmakers it had been relying on for the vote were unable to attend
the session," Topolanek said.

"It does not mean that we would give up the ratification process,"
Topolanek said, suggesting the vote may be held after a NATO summit in
April and negotiations with the new U.S. administration of President
Barack Obama.

Obama, who is due to visit Prague on April 4-5 after the summit,
has never said if the U.S. would go ahead with the deal, brokered
under President George W. Bush, to build a radar base near Prague
while placing 10 missile defense interceptors at another facility in
neighboring Poland.

Washington has said the shield would protect Europe from attacks by
"rogue states" in the Middle East.

Topolanek and Polish President Lech Kaczynski said they believed the
U.S. would honor the agreement.

But Czech opposition parties and most of the population are against
the missile defense plans, and Russia has vehemently opposed the
prospect of U.S. military installations so close to its borders.

The Czech upper house has already approved the planned missile shield,
AP reports.