Interim government to leave US radar plan on back burner

A caretaker Czech government due to lead the country until early general elections will not send the issue of a planned US radar base to the lower house of parliament, the Czech foreign minister, Jan Kohout, told Wednesday’s edition of the newspaper Lidové noviny. Mr Kohout said the subject was not on the interim government’s agenda and would be dealt with by whoever is elected in October. While the Senate approved Czech-US treaties allowing for the placing of a radar base in central Bohemia, ex-prime minister Mirek Topolánek withdrew the matter from the agenda of the Chamber of Deputies due to a lack of support.

It is not clear whether America plans to go ahead with the construction of an anti-missile shield project developed by the previous administration. In Prague in April President Barack Obama merely reiterated his previous position that it could go ahead if it was proven to work and was cost effective, and if a threat from Iran remained.