US says no major obstacles to Czech anti-missile deal

US state department chief negotiator John Rood said on Tuesday that there were no "insurmountable issues" standing in the way of a deal between the United States and the Czech Republic to site a US tracking radar in the country. Mr Rood was speaking at a news conference following a second round of negotiations in Prague. Tuesday's discussions focused on defining the terms of an agreement covering the siting of the base on Czech soil including its construction, maintenance, functioning and security measures. Mr Rood's Czech counterpart, Deputy Foreign Minister Tomas Pojar, said the talks allowed both sides to identify "the limits for further discussions."

The United States wants the Czech Republic to host a radar, with interceptor missiles in neighbouring Poland, to counter the missile attack threat it says is posed by Iran or other "rogue states." The move has created rifts within NATO, outright hostility from Russia and opposition from many Czechs.