Schwarzenberg meets Rice in Washington

Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg has met with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington to discuss US-Czech relations as well as a proposed US radar base on Czech territory. Speaking alongside Ms Rice ahead of their meeting, Mr Schwarzenberg voiced support for the US plan, while the US secretary of state said anti-missile projects were a key element of efforts to counter both terrorism and the spread of weapons of mass destruction. Washington announced in January plans to extend its still-unproven missile shield into Europe to counter potential missile attacks from what it calls "rogue states" such as Iran and North Korea. The radar base hosted by the Czech Republic would complement an installation in Poland manned with ten interceptor rockets. Public opinion in the Czech Republic remains mixed over the idea of the Czechs hosting a US base.