Second Czech-US anti-missile deal completed

The Czech Republic has completed negotiations with the United States on a second anti-missile defence agreement, it was announced on Wednesday. In an interview for Czech commercial radio Impuls, Deputy Foreign Minister Tomáš Pojar said that all terms of the agreement had been settled, though the official signing of the text could only be expected this autumn. The announcement comes a day after US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg signed a treaty paving the way for a US base to be sited in the former Soviet bloc country, sparking hostility from Russia which says the project threatens its security.