Czech President Klaus to meet Cheney on U.S. trip

...office said on Friday.

Klaus will be in the United States from March 4 until March 10, and will meet Cheney on March 9 in the White House.

The meeting comes at a time of intense discussion in the Czech Republic over a U.S. request to base part of its missile defence shield there.

The shield is meant to shoot down missiles that could be fired from rogue states such as Iran or North Korea and aimed at the United States or Europe. Plans to build part of it in the Czech Republic and part in Poland have angered Russia.

The right-wing government and Klaus have spoken in favour of opening talks on hosting a radar station in the country, but the plans faces opposition in parliament and even from the Green Party, a partner within the coalition government.

The Czech Republic, a member of NATO, is also campaigning for the elimination of the visa requirement for travel into the United States.

The U.S. administration has started preparing a visa waiver scheme for a number of European countries which could come into force by 2009 if approved by Congress.

The Czechs have small units in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Klaus last met Bush during a NATO summit in Riga in November last year.

A Polish newspaper has reported Bush may come to the region this year to discuss the missile defence shield.

[PRAGUE/Reuters/Finance.cz]