Prague/London - Czech Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanova and
her US counterpart Robert Gates signed a deal on Friday on rules
for stationing US troops at a planned missile defence base in the
ex-Warsaw Pact country, the Czech Defence Ministry said.
The ministers inked the so-called Status of Forces Agreement on
the sidelines of NATO's informal meeting in London.
The accord, whose full text will be published on Monday,
complements a main diplomatic treaty signed in Prague on July 8.
Washington plans to place a tracking radar in a military zone
south-west of Prague as well as 10 interceptor missiles in
neighbouring Poland, despite Moscow's objections - which were
reiterated on Friday.
'The Czech government has sold security of its own people for a
new toy - the missile defence system,' CTK news agency cited Russia's
NATO envoy Dmitry Rogozin as saying.
Warsaw agreed to host the missile shield installation on August 20
in exchange for US military aid, including a battery of Patriot air
defence missiles.
The missile shield treaties require parliamentary approval in both
former Eastern Bloc countries, now members of NATO and the European
Union.
The Czech centre-right government of Mirek Topolanek lacks clear
support for the project but hopes to steer the two treaties through
parliament by year end.
The Czech and US ministers also signed a declaration
on strategic defence cooperation on Friday that enables tighter
information exchange and collaboration in foreign missions.
The document also includes a US vow to help the Czech Republic
modernize its armed forces, including 'air transport capacities'.
Prague has been interested in two used US Hercules transport
planes but no deal has been made so far, spokesman for Czech Defence
Ministry Jan Pejsek said.
Czech officials have insisted that they are not seeking the
aircraft as a reward for the radar base.
USA
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