Majority of Czechs against hosting U.S. base -poll

...a public opinion poll published on Friday showed.

The United States wants to set up a radar system in the Czech Republic and a missile battery in Poland as part of a shield that would counter missiles fired by what Washington calls "rogue states" such as Iran and North Korea.

Moscow sees the system as an encroachment on its former sphere of influence and an attempt to shift the post-Cold War balance of power.

A poll by the state-funded CVVM agency showed 61 percent of the 1,080 respondents -- polled Feb. 5-12 -- said they were either mildly or strongly against locating the radar system on Czech soil.

Only 25 percent were either mildly or strongly in favour of hosting the radar, while 14 percent did not know.

Similar polls by other agencies in recent weeks had put the split at around 50-50.

The U.S. made the request to open talks with Prague and Warsaw -- former Soviet satellites in central Europe who are now part of NATO and the European Union -- on the missile defence shield in January.

The Czech government has spoken in favour of opening the talks, though the Green Party, a junior partner in the coalition government, has said it will support the project only if it has the blessing of NATO.

An official response from Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek's centre-right government on opening the talks is expected by the end of March.

Locating the radar base on Czech territory will require the approval of parliament. Topolanek has only 100 seats in the 200 seat lower house, and will need at least one leftist MP to vote along with the government.

The far-left Communists are strongly against the project, while the Social Democratic Party has said it wants a referendum on the issue.