 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Prague, Washington to sign missile cooperation deal Friday
Prague (AFP) Sept 17, 2008 A Czech-US agreement on deploying US soldiers at an anti-missile radar will be signed on Friday in London, an official from the Czech ministry of defence told AFP. "Czech Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanova and US Defense Secretary Robert Gates will sign the SOFA agreement in London Friday as well as a declaration of strategic cooperation," ministry spokesman Andrej Cirtek said. The agreement completes an initial deal Prague and Washington signed in July to base a powerful radar system in the Czech Republic to support a battery of 10 interceptor missiles in neighbouring Poland. The United States says the system is designed to prevent potential attacks from "rogue states" like Iran. The project angers Moscow, which says the plan is a threat to its security and has threatened to respond with targeted attacks on the missile shield's future sites. The area and buildings, on a former Soviet military base at Brdy, some 70 kilometres (45 miles) southwest of Prague, will remain Czech property, and Czech forces will be responsible for its protection and external security. The Czech parliament will give the two treaties a first reading in October, with a final reading expected to take place in December. The parliament will then vote on whether to ratify the treaty or not. If the vote is too close to call, judges will decide if ratification requires a simple majority -- 101 votes out of 200, or a constitutional majority -- 120 votes out of 200. The parliament is currently equally spilt on the issue, according to experts. The liberals, Christian democrats and the greens widely support the agreement. The social democrats and the communist party oppose the deal. Two thirds of Czechs oppose the project, surveys say. Related Links Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Pentagon proposes sale of missile defense system to UAE
Washington (AFP) Sept 12, 2008The Pentagon is hoping to sell the United Arab Emirates a theater wide missile defense system with an estimated value of 6.95 billion dollars, a defense agency said. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement |
