Related articles

Czech and American diplomats concluded another round of talks in Prague on Tuesday on the possible positioning of an American-operated radar base in the Czech Republic. While US Defence Secretary Robert Gates caught Czech politicians by surprise last month when he spoke of the possibility of a Russian 'presence' at the base, his deputy Eric Edelman, who headed the US delegation this time, assured the Czechs that no such thing is planned. Veronika Kuchynova Smigolova, the head of the Czech Foreign Ministry's department of security policy, was on

Around 60,000 people attended a special NATO Day at Ostrava airport on Saturday. Those in attendance were treated to a showcase of military technology from seven NATO armies, including the British air force's new Eurofighter Typhoon F2. It was the first time the annual NATO Day was held in central and eastern Europe. Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek was among the dignitaries at the event.

The Bush administration's plans to build a radar station in the Czech Republic as part of its missile defence shield have never been far from the front pages, and today the story is back on the agenda. The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to cut funding for the proposed missile defence facilities by almost one half, prompting a sharp exchange of views in Prague on whether the system will ever see the light of day.

Former Czech defence minister and current deputy minister for European affairs Jiri Sedivy will become NATO's Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning, the Czech NATO Information Centre reported on Monday. Mr Sedivy, who has won in a six-month competition out of more than 20 candidates, will assume the post in September or October this year, becoming the highest ranking Czech official in NATO ever.

Speaking to the Czech News Agency, Mr Sedivy said his appointment was an acknowledgement of Czech politics as a whole, namely for example the successful foreign missions of the Czech military. He also made it clear that he wouldn't act as a representative of the Czech Republic, but as an employee of NATO's foreign office.

Jiri Sedivy has just been named NATO's Assistant Secretary General. The former Czech defence minister and current deputy minister of European affairs will be moving to Brussels this autumn - and will become the first Czech official to occupy such a high ranking position at NATO headquarters. I spoke to Jiri Sedivy earlier, and I asked him what his new job involved.

Former Czech defense minister and current deputy minister for European affairs Jiri Sedivy will become NATO's Assistant Secretary General for Defense Policy and Planning, the Czech NATO Information Centre reported on Monday. He will assume the post in September or October this year becoming the highest ranking Czech official in NATO ever.

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise proposal during the G8 summit in the German resort of Heilegendamm on Thursday when he offered to his US counterpart George Bush to share a base to detect missile attacks. Mr Putin offered President Bush the joint use of a Russian radar station in Azerbaijan as an alternative to US plans to station parts of a missile shield in the Czech Republic and Poland, an idea fiercely criticised by Russia. Czech officials have so far adopted a 'wait and see' attitude to Moscow's proposal.

The eyes of the world's media may have shifted a few hundred kilometres north to the G8 Summit in Germany, but the Prague conference at which George W. Bush made his keynote speech continued into its second day on Wednesday. The Democracy and Security conference, held at the Czech Foreign Ministry, brought together dissidents from all over the world, from Belarus to Iran. We've been speaking to one of the conference's main organisers, Natan Sharansky.

Opposition leader Jiri Paroubek says in an article published in Monday's Lidove Noviny that the radar project would be acceptable if it were part of NATO s joint defense and if Czechs themselves could decide by means of a referendum where it should be located. In related news, President Klaus on Monday slammed the Social Democrat's cautious stand on the US radar, saying it had been the Social Democrat government which started secret talks on the radar with Washington and had not even bothered to inform the head of state about them.

Protestors on Saturday came out in Prague to demonstrate once again against the Czech Republic hosting a US radar base as part of a broader missile defense shield. More than 1,000 protestors took part; most were from the political left, though some were Greens who attended despite the fact that their party, a member of the ruling coalition, has tentatively backed the project.