Czech Senate opens debate on missile defence accords (1st Lead)

Prague - The Czech parliament's upper house Thursday began debating treaties that allow the United States to place its missile defence base in the former Soviet satellite. The Senate is expected to approve the pacts as the three-party governing coalition of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek has a majority of 45 in the 81-seat house. The missile shield treaties face a hurdle in parliament's closely-divided lower house where Topolanek lacks a clear majority for the US project. In a bid to win over the plan's opponents, the premier said earlier he would prefer the final lower house vote to take place after US president-elect Barack Obama takes office on January 20. Speaking before the Senate, Topolanek said his government's support for the project, which is unpopular with the public, was a display of statesmanlike providence. 'I have to say I do not know a more stupid sentence from the security perspective than this one: 'Nobody is threatening us, so why build defences?'' he said. Washington would like to erect a tracking radar for a European arm of its missile shield in a military zone south-west of Prague, accompanied by 10 interceptor missiles in Poland. Topolanek reiterated that he sees the project as a safeguard against Russia, which has strongly opposed the US plans in the former Eastern Bloc countries, now members of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. 'It is entirely unacceptable for me to become the premier of the government that will obediently stand to attention and again open the door to Russian imperialism,' he said. Obama's unclear stance on the project showed in the ratification debate in Prague. Senator Jiri Dienstbier, a former foreign minister elected to the chamber on the opposition Social Democratic ballot in October, urged his colleagues to delay the vote for one year. 'There is no reason for the Senate to anticipate the course of events in such an uncertain issue. ... Let's not be ridiculous,' he said. In an effort to assure the chamber that the new US leader will not dump the project, Topolanek called Obama's decision to keep Defence Secretary Robert Gates in office 'an example of continuity.' Obama has so far only said that he would support the project if it works. The outgoing Bush administration said the European bases are to protect the continent from potential long-range missiles from countries such as Iran. But Russia has called the shield a danger to its own security and has repeatedly threatened to aim missiles at the central European bases. It remains unclear whether the upper house will vote on the project on Thursday.