The Czech government has agreed to host facilities that would be used as part of the defensive shield the US wants to build in Europe. But the plans are unpopular among Czechs and many others. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced that the deal had been reached after meeting with her counterpart Karel Schwarzenberg in Prague. "We face with the Iranians, and so do our allies and friends, a growing missile threat that is getting ever longer and ever deeper, and where the Iranian appetite for nuclear technology ... is still unchecked," Rice told reporters in Czech capital. The radar system is part of a defensive shield intended to protect Europe against missile attacks by so-called "rouge states" like Iran. Washington hopes that the entire shield will be functional some time between 2011 and 2013. But Rice said the next US President would have to decide whether and how to go ahead with the shield.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced that the deal had been reached after meeting with her counterpart Karel Schwarzenberg in Prague.
"We face with the Iranians, and so do our allies and friends, a growing missile threat that is getting ever longer and ever deeper, and where the Iranian appetite for nuclear technology ... is still unchecked," Rice told reporters in Czech capital.
The radar system is part of a defensive shield intended to protect Europe against missile attacks by so-called "rouge states" like Iran. Washington hopes that the entire shield will be functional some time between 2011 and 2013.
But Rice said the next US President would have to decide whether and how to go ahead with the shield.
MOSCOW, July 8 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia will use military-technical rather than diplomatic methods in case of the deployment of U.S. missile defense elements in Europe, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in comments on the U.S.-Czech ABM deal. "If the agreement with the United States liable for ratification by the Czech parliament eventually becomes a law, and the deployment of U.S. missile defense elements really starts in the direct proximity to our borders, we will have to use military-technical rather than diplomatic methods," the ministry said. "There is no doubt that the deployment of U.S. strategic weaponry close to the Russian territory may be used for weakening our deterring potential. Obviously, Russia will have to take appropriate measures and compensate the forming potential threats to its national security. This is not our choice," the ministry said.
"If the agreement with the United States liable for ratification by the Czech parliament eventually becomes a law, and the deployment of U.S. missile defense elements really starts in the direct proximity to our borders, we will have to use military-technical rather than diplomatic methods," the ministry said.
"There is no doubt that the deployment of U.S. strategic weaponry close to the Russian territory may be used for weakening our deterring potential. Obviously, Russia will have to take appropriate measures and compensate the forming potential threats to its national security. This is not our choice," the ministry said.
Because the US has not done enough to create instability in the world... "Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.
Russia tonight threatened to retaliate by military means after a deal with the Czech Republic brought the US missile defence system in Europe a step closer. The threat followed quickly on from the announcement that Condoleezza Rice signed a formal agreement with the Czech Republic to host the radar for the controversial project. Moscow argues that the missile shield would severely undermine the balance of European security and regards the proposed missile shield based in two former Communist countries as a hostile move. "We will be forced to react not with diplomatic, but with military-technical methods," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Russia tonight threatened to retaliate by military means after a deal with the Czech Republic brought the US missile defence system in Europe a step closer.
The threat followed quickly on from the announcement that Condoleezza Rice signed a formal agreement with the Czech Republic to host the radar for the controversial project.
Moscow argues that the missile shield would severely undermine the balance of European security and regards the proposed missile shield based in two former Communist countries as a hostile move.
"We will be forced to react not with diplomatic, but with military-technical methods," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
although I think the russians might be better served by letting them get on with it, even encouraging the missiles elsewhere. After all, it's all American treasure being wasted pointlessly and that has to be a positive from their point of view. keep to the Fen Causeway
It would be much wiser to let the US break itself and quietly chuckle from the side keep to the Fen Causeway
That's the neocon interpretation. But I agree, armament races are so adolescent and wasteful. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Presumbaly someone in the Pentagon still thinks Russia could be planning a first strike. But if so, there doesn't seem to be any evidence at all for that view.
Mr. Topolanek's coalition government does not have enough seats to assure support for the plans and may need opposition votes. Legislators from the Green Party -- the government's junior coalition partner -- have indicated they may block the proposals and opposition parties have demanded a national referendum. About two-thirds of Czechs oppose the radar deployment, according to polls. "Ratification will be difficult," said Jiri Schneider, program director at the Prague Security Studies Institute. "The missile defense plan has sparked a national debate about how exposed we want to be on the international stage." Czech political analysts said that, for the older generation, the missile defense plans had tapped into a deep and abiding suspicion of security alliances that stretched back across the past century. In 1938, on the eve of World War II, Czechoslovakia was carved up by the Nazis, with Western acquiescence, despite having a security agreement with France . In 1968, the country was invaded by troops from the Soviet Union. For the younger generation, opposition to the missile plan has become a way to express discontent with American policies, including the war in Iraq. Jan Tamas, 32, an information technology consultant in Prague who went on a 21-day hunger strike to oppose the plans, said he was motivated to do so by a mistrust of the Bush administration, fears of an arms race and opposition to having foreign troops on Czech soil. "The U.S. says we need missile defense to protect us from Iran," Tamas said. "But they made the same claims in 2003 about Iraq and weapons of mass destruction, and they were wrong." But Jiri Dolezal, 43, a commentator for the Czech weekly magazine Reflex, who has held a hunger strike in favor of the missile plans, said installing a radar base in his country would buttress national security and was an important expression of assertiveness after decades of Czech passivity under communist occupation. He called opponents of the plans a fringe of leftist radicals who were succumbing "to traditional Czech cowardice."
"Ratification will be difficult," said Jiri Schneider, program director at the Prague Security Studies Institute. "The missile defense plan has sparked a national debate about how exposed we want to be on the international stage."
Czech political analysts said that, for the older generation, the missile defense plans had tapped into a deep and abiding suspicion of security alliances that stretched back across the past century.
In 1938, on the eve of World War II, Czechoslovakia was carved up by the Nazis, with Western acquiescence, despite having a security agreement with France . In 1968, the country was invaded by troops from the Soviet Union. For the younger generation, opposition to the missile plan has become a way to express discontent with American policies, including the war in Iraq.
Jan Tamas, 32, an information technology consultant in Prague who went on a 21-day hunger strike to oppose the plans, said he was motivated to do so by a mistrust of the Bush administration, fears of an arms race and opposition to having foreign troops on Czech soil.
"The U.S. says we need missile defense to protect us from Iran," Tamas said. "But they made the same claims in 2003 about Iraq and weapons of mass destruction, and they were wrong."
But Jiri Dolezal, 43, a commentator for the Czech weekly magazine Reflex, who has held a hunger strike in favor of the missile plans, said installing a radar base in his country would buttress national security and was an important expression of assertiveness after decades of Czech passivity under communist occupation.
He called opponents of the plans a fringe of leftist radicals who were succumbing "to traditional Czech cowardice."
Mr. Dolezal has a funny idea of what constitutes passivity and cowardice.
But Jiri Dolezal, ....... said installing a radar base in his country would buttress national security and was an important expression of assertiveness after decades of Czech passivity under communist occupation
So being submissive to the global hegemony of the US is okay and not a demonstration of the new passivity ? keep to the Fen Causeway
