Head of US Missile Defence Agency in Prague

There are several other countries that could host a US radar station, if the Czech Republic should decide against hosting it, the director of the US Missile Defence Agency, Henry Obering, said in Prague on Monday. Mr Obering visited the Czech capital to inform the country's politicians and National Security Council about the technical parameters of a radar station that the United States has requested to build in the Czech Republic as part of its missile defence system in Europe. Mr Obering said he hopes the two countries will complete talks by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Moscow is not happy with US-Russian talks on Washington's missile defence plan in Europe. The Russians have criticised the plan, saying it is a threat to their security. Mr Lavrov intends to discuss the issue at a NATO-Russia meeting in Oslo on Thursday.