Future of anti-missile system hinges on Iran, says Hillary Clinton after talks with Czech counterpart
Uncertainty over American plans to build an anti-missile system that would be part based in the Czech Republic has not been dispelled after a meeting between the Czech foreign minister and his US counterpart in Washington. America has, however, for the first time admitted the possibility that the project may not go ahead, with Hillary Clinton saying it now hinges on Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
On his way to Washington, the Czech foreign minister told reporters he expected the US missile defence shield project, conceived by the previous administration, would be postponed. Karel Schwarzenberg said America wanted to first test how many rockets could be caught by its interceptors, which would be based in Poland and linked to a radar base in central Bohemia. That, he said, could take five years.
However, it is unlikely Minister Schwarzenberg expected his meeting with US secretary of state would lead to headlines in the Czech media like “Hillary reverses on radar”. “Reverses” is perhaps a tad strong, but at a joint news conference on Tuesday, the Hillary Clinton did say the project could be "reconsidered" – the first time any US official has admitted it may in the end not go ahead.
“We had a very good discussion about our hopes to work together – the European Union and the United States – in dissuading the Iranians from pursuing nuclear weapons. But if the Iranians continue on this path, certainly one of the options for free countries like the Czech Republic, other Europeans, and the United States, is to defend ourselves. So this is one of those issues that really will rest with the decisions made by the Iranian Government.”
Evidently taken aback, Karel Schwarzenberg responded by saying Iran was not the only threat. Indeed, speaking to Czech reporters after his appearance before the media with Hillary Clinton, he expressed some skepticism about this new conditional talk from Washington. What can I say? he said, if roses bloom in January, I will reassess my garden.
His government has invested considerable political capital in backing a radar base to which polls suggest most Czechs are opposed. One of Wednesday’s Czech newspapers said it now appeared that Prague wanted the radar base more than Washington.
