UPDATE 4-Czechs make "big mistake" on U.S. radar-Russia

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By Chris Baldwin

Russia's military chief told the Czech Republic on Tuesday that hosting a U.S. missile defence shield would be a "big mistake" and urged Prague to delay a decision until a new U.S. president was elected.

The Czech Republic is considering whether to accept a radar station which would form part of a U.S. missile shield -- a system designed to intercept and destroy missiles from "rogue states" but which Moscow sees as a threat to its security.

"We say it will be a big mistake by the Czech government to put this radar site on Czech territory," Yuri Baluyevsky, the Russian military chief of staff, told reporters after meeting Czech Deputy Defence Minister Martin Bartak.

Baluyevsky said American and Russian officials would meet in September in Moscow for consultations on the missile shield.

He said the Czech Republic should hold off making a decision until after the U.S. presidential election, scheduled for late 2008, to replace President George W. Bush.

"A decision will be made by the Czech side only after the evaluation of all conditions, technical and otherwise," Baluyevsky said.

"I and my Russian colleagues simply ask that that process continue through to October-November of 2008, and I think you can all guess why."

Asked by a reporter to clarify, he said: "I do not exclude that a new administration in the United States will re-evaluate the current administration's decisions on missile defence."

The missile shield is the latest in a series of moves by Moscow's former Warsaw Pact allies to embrace NATO, effectively moving the West's military capabilities closer to Russia.

Bartak said his government had not yet made a decision. "The most important thing I can say is that we have not yet said the final word on this and we will not until we have explored all avenues," he said.

INVASION ANNIVERSARY

Baluyevsky was speaking on the 39th anniversary of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia to crush the "Prague Spring", when Soviet tanks ended an attempt by the government of the day to promote liberal reforms.

He said the Czech stance was based on political rather than military considerations.

"There are unfounded allegations that Russia is attempting to disrupt the peace and tranquillity of western Europe."

Baluyevsky said Moscow would use the consultations with U.S. officials in September to push its counter-proposal to the missile shield, involving a joint missile defence system.

As part of that proposal, Russian President Vladimir Putin in June offered the United States use of a Russian-operated radar station in Azerbaijan, 200 km (125 miles) from Iran, and the use of another radar system in southern Russia.

The offer was conditional on Washington scrapping its missile shield plans. U.S. President George W. Bush said the proposal was "innovative" but his officials made clear it was not a substitute for their radar deployment plans in Europe.

[MOSCOW/Reuters/Finance.cz]