NATO Secretary General: talks about US radar base are bilateral issue

NATO's Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has said negotiations about the stationing of a US anti-missile base are a bilateral issue of the United States and the country in question. After meeting Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek in Brussels on Monday, Mr de Hoop Scheffer said the US project nevertheless speeded up talks within NATO on its own anti-missile shield. Prime Minister Topolanek said he welcomed further discussion within the alliance and said bilateral talks with the United States were the beginning of such a process.