Prague - The United States will provide $600,000 for funding of first three Czech scientific projects, Henry Obering, chief of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), said in Prague.

Americans promised financial assistance to the Czech government for its consent with the stationing of a U.S. missile defence radar base on Czech soil.

Eight projects, submitted by the Czech Academy of Sciences universities as well as private firms, had been shortlisted in eight fields, such as nanomaterial, robotics, laser technology, radiolocation equipment and medicine.

The newly drafted framework agreement that was signed by Obering and Czech First Deputy Defence Minister Martin Bartak in Prague today opens space for the Czech-U.S. future cooperation in missile defence.

Although the Czech government gave its consent with the stationing of the U.S. radar in the Czech Republic, the radar base can only be built after the two main Czech-U.S. treaties concerning the radar were ratified by the Czech parliament.

The parliament is discussing the treaties. The senior ruling Civic Democrats (ODS) are pushing for their approval, while the senior opposition Social Democrats insists that the debate on the documents should be postponed.

The Senate, the upper house of the Czech parliament, will deal with the treaties in December.

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