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CEE News
Communists rally against proposed US missile defense installation in Czech Republic
The Associated Press
Published: April 19, 2008
Some 2,000 people protested Saturday against U.S. plans to build a missile defense base outside the Czech capital, Communist Party organizers said.
The protesters gathered in the town of Misov and marched to the border of a military zone about 75 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of Prague where U.S. wants to locate a missile tracking radar system, Czech news television CT24 said.
Communist Party spokeswoman Monika Horeni estimated some 2,000 joined the protest.
Washington also wants to place 10 interceptor missiles in Poland as part of a missile defense shield that U.S. officials say is needed to protect against possible future attacks from the Middle East.
The Czech Republic and the U.S. said this month that a deal on building the missile defense base on Czech territory would be signed in Prague in May. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected in Prague for the signing.
Czech and U.S. officials on Tuesday will discuss a complementary deal to cover the legal status of U.S. troops at the radar base.
Both deals need parliamentary approval, which could be difficult. Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek's three-party coalition government has support from only half the lower house's 200 lawmakers. The main opposition Social Democrats oppose the plan, as does some two-thirds of the Czech public.
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