RPT-Czech PM offers cash to woo locals near radar site

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By Jan Korselt

SPALENE PORICI, Czech Republic, Sept 5 (Reuters) - The Czech government pledged investments into infrastructure and tourism on Wednesday to win over people living where the United States wants to build a missile-shield radar station.

The centre-right cabinet faces protests against the base from a majority of people in the central European nation. Many mayors in the Brdy area also fear the radar may not only harm Czech foreign relations, but also people's health.

Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek and his entire cabinet met several mayors from the area 80 km (50 miles) southwest of Prague to offer them incentives for hosting the radar site.

Topolanek said he was ready to work with local authorities but their stance would not influence the final decision on building the station -- which is an exclusive responsibility of the government and parliament.

"I told the mayors we did not come to negotiate with them on the radar issue. This is what we negotiate with the Americans," Topolanek told a news conference.

"We came to negotiate about them having the basic guarantees ... that the radar will not influence the quality of their lives in terms of health and environment, and to offer them (economic) cooperation."

He said the government would open a part of the wooded, hilly Brdy military area, allowing it to become a tourism site. Other investments would go into road and utility upgrades, he said, regardless of the final decision on the radar.

Washington wants to place up to 10 ground-based interceptor missiles in northern Poland and the radar base in the Czech Republic to protect against attacks from what it calls "rogue states" such as Iran and North Korea.

The plan has angered Russia, which says the scheme threatens its security, and has drawn criticism from neighbouring Austria and Slovakia. A poll released in July showed 65 percent of Czechs opposed hosting the base, versus 28 percent for.

A group of protesters gathered in the village of Spalene Porici where the government was meeting, waving banners with slogans such as "No To the Base".

But not all there were against it. Well-known sculpturer and pro-radar activist David Cerny scattered leaflets supporting the plan over the village from a plane.

Czech and U.S. delegations were due to discuss the terms of the radar station in Prague later on Wednesday.