RPT-Czech PM defends missile shield ahead of Bush visit

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Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said on Thursday Czechs must contribute to Euro-Atlantic security by hosting a missile shield base, defending the plan ahead of a visit by U.S. President George Bush.

Russia said its test firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile on Tuesday was in response to the U.S. shield plan and cited a new arms race undermining world security.

Bush visits Prague on June 4-5 to discuss building a radar system here and a rocket battery in Poland as part of a shield aimed to protect the U.S. and its allies against missiles that could be fired from countries such as Iran or North Korea.

Topolanek said Russia must not be allowed to veto the plans.

"If we are not ready to accept, in the name of the protection of the Euro-Atlantic area, such a little thing as elements of missile defence, how will we face tougher challenges that may come?" Topolanek asked a security conference in Prague.

He said Russia was not threatened militarily by the missile shield but it felt its new superpower policies were at risk.

"It (Russia) feels...that if it manages to veto the base, if it brings chaos among allies with tough rhetoric, it will strengthen its position and weaken the Euro-Atlantic alliance," Topolanek said.

"But we do not want to belong again in Russia's sphere of influence."

Topolanek faces a tough battle to win parliamentary ratification for the radar. Most of the leftist opposition Social Democrats and Communists oppose the base.

An opinion poll released on Thursday showed that public support for the base was rising. However, 61 percent of Czechs were still against, compared to 30 percent supporting the plan.

[PRAGUE/Reuters/Finance.cz]