Protest against US radar

Over a thousand people gathered on Prague's Wenceslas Square on Saturday to protest against the deployment of a US radar base on Czech territory. The demonstration was supported by the opposition Social Democrats and Communists as well as the Green party of the ruling coalition. Washington wants to site a radar base in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in neighbouring Poland to counter a possible missile attack threat by Iran. Neither country has as yet made a firm commitment.

Czech and US officials started a second round of talks on the issue in Prague this week. The Czech government said it would present a counter-proposal to the US radar treaty within two months' time, outlining the conditions under which the Czech Republic would be prepared to host a US radar base on its territory. Opinion surveys suggest that the majority of Czechs do not want the base here.