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On Monday, we told you that the upper chamber of the Czech Republic’s parliament approved the deal for the U.S. to install a missile defense radar base. According to UPI, doubts linger about whether the lower chamber will approve the agreement.

Opposition party member and speaker of the lower chamber Miloslav Vlcek said plainly, “I am certain that the radar will not be deployed.”

Although U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg signed the agreement a few months ago, approval is not forthcoming. President-Elect Barack Obama is not enthusiastic about the bases in the Czech Republic or Poland, and the Czech Republic may be caving in to Russia out of fear. Russia has already said it will install missiles near Poland should the U.S. continue with its plans to build a base in that country.

 
This weekend the U.S. Navy announced that it shot down one of two short-range ballistic missiles test-fired from a navy ship, the first time the Navy supervised a Standard Missile-3 interceptor fired against a ballistic missile target.

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Last week, the Czech Republic’s parliament began debating the deal reached between the U.S. and the Czech Republic to install a radar missile defense base to protect against missile attacks. The agreement is supported by the center-right coalition government, but parties that oppose parliament and Czech citizens are concerned about Russia’s disapproval of the plan.

One opposition party, the Social Democratic Party, has asked the Constitutional Court to review the agreements for legality. Signed last summer by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, the deal must be ratified by both houses of parliament. A majority of Czech citizens oppose the missile defense deal, according to polls.

The U.S. is attempting to protect Central Europe from countries like Iran. The U.S. plans to build a missile defense base in Poland, which also has to ratify the agreement. As expected, Russia opposes both bases.

(Sources: AP and RIA Novosti)

 
Some months ago, the U.S. and the Czech Republic reached a deal for the U.S. to install a radar missile defense base to protect against missile attacks. Democrats in Congress threatened to withhold funding for the project until both houses of the Czech Republic’s parliament approved the deal. According to Reuters, that country’s parliament is divided, and the situation was made even worse as a result of the Czech Republic’s recent election.

The agreement is supported by the center-right coalition government, but parties that oppose parliament and Czech civilians are concerned about Russia’s disapproval of the plan.

“There will be a problem. We must fight until the very last moment,” Foreign Affairs Minister Karel Schwarzenberg told Reuters. “I hope that after all the people will realise the responsibility that they have.”

Before the U.S. moves forward with the base, the deal must be ratified. The lower house of the Czech Republic’s parliament recently began debating the issue.