President Havel on air defense

President Havel has expressed support for the idea of securing the Czech Republic's air defense system in cooperation with Slovakia. On Monday the Czech Cabinet officially cancelled a plan to buy 24 supersonic Gripen fighter jets as replacement for the country's aging Soviet-era planes. Faced with a mounting budget deficit and the cost of this year's devastating floods, the government has been forced to consider a less costly way of securing the country's air defense. One option that is being seriously considered is the possibility of cooperating on air defense with the Czech Republic's eastern neighbour Slovakia. The Slovak Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan has said Slovakia is ready to discuss the idea.