Czech mayors to turn to Obama over US radar plan.

ČTK / November 11, 2008 The Czech mayors who are opposed to the U.S. plan to install a missile defence radar on Czech soil, want to turn to U.S. President-elect Barack Obama and ask him to reassess the plan, Jan Tamas from the Non-Violence Movement said Monday.



Prague, Nov 10 (CTK) - The Czech mayors who are opposed to the U.S. plan to install a missile defence radar on Czech soil, want to turn to U.S. President-elect Barack Obama and ask him to reassess the plan, Jan Tamas from the Non-Violence Movement said Monday.

"We plan to post the letter in a week," said Tamas, whose movement struggles against the radar project.

He was speaking to journalists at an international conference on the U.S. national missile defence that started in the Czech Chamber of Deputies today.



The radar base is to be installed in the Brdy military district, some 90km southwest of Prague. Along with a silo with interceptor missiles in Poland, it is to form the U.S. anti-missile shield in Central Europe that is to protect the USA and a large part of Europe against hostile missiles that states such as Iran may launch.

Prague and Washington signed the two radar treaties this summer. The treaties are yet to be discussed by Czech parliament where they are not sure of the necessary majority of votes.

The radar project is opposed by the left-wing opposition and a majority of Czechs, including inhabitants of the towns situated on the edge of Brdy in central and west Bohemia.

About 30 mayors of these towns have established the League of Mayors Against the Radar that is going to write to Obama.



Two Czech "rebel" deputies from the junior ruling Green party, Olga Zubova and Vera Jakubkova, wrote to Obama a few days ago asking him to reassess the radar plan.

The radar opponents believe that Obama could drop the plan to install elements of the U.S. missile shield in Europe.

Obama's team has made it clear that Obama will support the project if the relevant technology proves reliably functioning.

U.S. Missile Defence Agency head Henry Obering said he does not expect Democrat Obama's arrival in the White House to threaten the radar project.



The conference in Prague today is attended by Italian MEP Giulietto Chiesa. He said he ranks among the 18 MEPs who are against the radar project.

According to Chiesa, European security must be negotiated on European level. Bilateral Czech-U.S. and Polish-U.S. talks weaken the EU and the missile defence shield, installed on Czech and Polish soil, would worsen the EU-Russia relations, he said.

http://praguemonitor.com/2008/11/11/czech-mayors-turn-obama-over-us-radar-plan