Russia demands permanent inspectors at the planned U.S. radar base

Prague and Washington are due to sign a treaty on the deployment of a missile defence radar on Czech soil on Tuesday, despite continued opposition from Russia. The Russian ambassador to Prague Alexei Fedotov told Czech TV on Sunday that his country would only be satisfied by a permanent presence of Russian inspectors at the base, an idea that the Czech government has repeatedly rejected.

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will arrive in Prague to sign one of the most significant – and one of the most controversial – treaties in modern Czech history. The Czech – American agreement on siting a U.S. tracking radar base in the Czech Republic will allow, for the first time since the fall of communism, for the presence of foreign troops on Czech soil. While opponents of the planned base in the Czech Republic are planning a major rally in Prague on Tuesday, Russian ambassador to Prague Alexei Fedotov said that his country would take “adequate steps” to ensure its own security. Russia’s objections to the future radar base, according to Mr Fedotov, can only be overcome by allowing Russian inspectors to be permanently present at the base. Czech Deputy Foreign Minister Tomáš Pojar says the Czech government is not going to accept this.

“We have always offered Russia transparency through accredited officers or attaches at the Russian embassy to the Czech Republic with access to the base. The United States have also always been flexible and open with regard to sharing data of what the radar sees, once it’s functioning. We were told that the online exchange of data would be in the interest of the U.S. So for us, the transparency measures are sufficient, as presented in the Czech and American proposals and nothing has changed. We see this as a political statement rather than a statement with respect to the transparency issue.”

What do you suppose Russia’s ‘adequate measures’ might be?

“Well, I think it’s up to Russia to take adequate measures. Russia was threatening with adequate measures when NATO was expanding, first accepting us, Poland and Hungary and later Slovakia and the Baltic states, Bulgaria and Romania. We often hear that Russia will take adequate measures, and it’s Russia’s responsibility to take any measures they want. I wouldn’t take it so seriously.”

The treaty, to be signed by the Czech and American foreign ministers in Prague on Tuesday, makes no mention of any foreign inspections to the radar station. The Czech news website aktualne.cz was the first to bring actual details of the treaty. I asked Kateřina Eliášová, of aktulane.cz, who had a chance to see the document, what the most important points of the agreement were.

“Perhaps the most important issue relates to the status of the radar base – that is, under whose command it will be. The treaty says that the red button, so to speak, will be in the hands of the Americans. Some Czech politicians demanded that the base be under direct NATO command but that has been impossible to negotiate. The functioning of the radar will however be coordinated by NATO, the United States and the Czech Republic. The treaty puts a lot of emphasis on coordination of the U.S. anti-missile shield with NATO, saying that the United States ‘maintain that the U.S. anti-missile defence system be operational within the developing NATO defence system and become its integral component.’ ”

The 30-page-long treaty also says that the Czech Republic has to give the United States one-year notice in case it decides it no longer wants the radar base in the country. The maximum number of U.S. troops stationed in the Czech Republic is limited to 250. Kateřina Eliášová again.

“The treaty also has an important passage concerning the Czech Republic’s security. It literally says that ‘the United States is determined to ensure the security of the Czech Republic and protect and defend it with the anti-missile defence system from possible ballistic missile attacks. Both sides will work together to avert threats for the Czech Republic in connection with the presence of the radar base on Czech territory, should any such threats appear’. I think this is very important – in case of an imminent attack, the Americans won’t let us down.”

Apart from the main agreement on the establishment of the radar base, the Czech Republic and the United States will also sign a treaty on scientific and industrial cooperation. The remaining treaty, known as SOFA, which will determine the status of American military personnel in the Czech Republic, is still being finalized and will be signed later.