Village reject US radar base in unbinding referendum

All residents of the village of Visky who took part in a local referendum on Saturday unanimously rejected the planned stationing of a US radar base in the nearby Brdy training ground. Out of the 31 eligible voters, 30 came to voice their view and all of them said No to the radar base, Mayor Lubomir Fiala told reporters. The referendum, which is not binding, follows a similar vote held in the nearby village of Trokavec in March which overwhelmingly rejected the US installation.

The United States has asked the Czech Republic to host a radar installation as part of a broader missile defence shield the US has planned in Europe. Negotiations on a possible US radar base in the Czech Republic will continue between Czech and US representatives until later this year. Polls suggest most Czechs are opposed to the plan, as are the opposition Communists and most of the opposition Social Democrats. Another village in the Brdy area is to hold a vote on June 2, two days before US President George Bush visits the Czech Republic to back the US request.