PM: radar base inspections by Russia would need to be approved by Prague

Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek said in connection with the US-Russian talks that any agreement which would entail the presence of Russian inspectors at the radar base would need to be approved by Prague. Mr. Topolánek said in Prague on Tuesday that occasional inspections by Russian experts would not present a problem but that Prague did not want a permanent Russian military presence at the base. The idea of having Russian soldiers on Czech soil has touched a raw nerve in the Czech Republic which was forced to accept the presence of Russian troops in the country for two decades following the crushing of the Prague Spring reform movement in 1968.