Vondra: US missile defence base could be decided in January

Foreign Minister Alexandr Vondra has said that the issue of a possible stationing of a US missile defence base in Czech territory is likely to be decided in January. He indicated some delay was to be expected given recent changes at the US defense department, with former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld newly replaced by Robert Gates. On Friday, Mr Vondra reported to Czech MPs on negotiations underway at the request of the Communist Party. The Communists are against the construction of a defence base on Czech and on Friday tried unsuccessfully to push through a proposal in the lower house blocking further talks on the US proposal.

If a base is agreed one solution could be a base could be divided into two parts: defence radar deployed in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland.