december
08-06-2007, 07:19 PM
Czechs have staged another protest against US plans to build a radar station in their country as part of a missile defence shield - and the issue looks set to overshadow US President George Bush's visit to Prague on 4-5 June.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42978000/jpg/_42978611_pragdemoap203body.jpg
The rally was not large - but polls show most Czechs oppose the base
The US says expanding the defence system will protect both America and Europe from any attack by Iran or other so-called "rogue states".
But the Czech government, which has launched formal talks on the base with Washington, appears to be having difficulty persuading its citizens.
Neighbouring Poland - set to host US interceptor rockets - has seen similar protests.
READ MORE -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6697757.stm
Protesters gather in Poland ahead of Bush's visit
08/ 06/ 2007
GDANSK, June 8 (RIA Novosti) - More than 100 people have gathered in the center of Jarata, northern Poland, in protest against a visit by the U.S. president, who is scheduled to arrive at the Baltic resort later Friday.
George Bush will meet with his close ally Lech Kaczynski, and is expected to discuss the deployment of elements of a U.S. missile shield in Poland, plans that have proved highly unpopular among the Polish population.
The demonstrators gathered outside the Jurata's central train station where they were blocked by police.
U.S. plans to deploy an interceptor missile base in northern Poland and an anti-missile radar in the Czech Republic have provoked a furious response in Russia, which has warned that the bases could become the targets of Russian pinpoint missile strikes.
Bush is traveling from the Group of Eight summit in nearby Germany, where he fell ill on the final day and had to pull out of talks with other world leaders. At the summit, he held talks with President Vladimir Putin, at which the Russian leader proposed a compromise in the missile shield dispute, offering the Pentagon joint use of the Gabala radar that Russia rents from Azerbaijan.
In an interview with the Czech newspaper Mlada fronta Dnes in late May, the right-wing Polish president described the potential deployment as "a purely defense-related issue." He said U.S. missiles would protect his country from "rogue states" such as Iran and North Korea.
Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the president's twin brother, said earlier in the year that the U.S. missile shield could also give Warsaw a lever against Russia's influence.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20070608/66932472.html
Iran Says U.S. Case for Europe Anti-Missile Shield Is a `Joke'
By Ed Johnson
June 4 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. case for a missile defense shield to protect Europe from Iran is the ``joke of the year'' because Iranian weapons cannot reach the continent, said Ali Larijani, the country's chief nuclear negotiator.
Iran has no intention of attacking its most important commercial partner, the official Islamic Republic News Agency cited Larijani as saying yesterday.
``Iranian missiles do not reach Europe'' and it's hard to believe U.S. authorities don't know that, Larijani said, according to the report.
The U.S. plans to base interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic as part of a system it says is necessary to defend against long-range missile attacks from countries such as Iran. Russia opposes the planned shield, saying it will threaten Russian security.
The issue has strained U.S.-Russian relations and last week the government in Moscow said it successfully tested a weapon it claimed was immune to all defense shields.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week the planned shield risked turning Europe into a ``powder keg.'' He dismissed American concerns that Iran could threaten the U.S. and Europe. Iranian missiles now have a maximum range of 1,100 miles (1,700 kilometers) and by 2012 they may have missiles with a range of 1,500 miles, too short to justify a missile shield, Putin said.
The U.S. and Iran severed diplomatic ties in 1979 after the taking of hostages at the U.S. embassy in the Iranian capital, Tehran. The U.S. is leading international efforts to increase sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. The Bush administration is also demanding Iran stop arming Shiite militias in neighboring Iraq.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=aH9_iTEfmfPU&refer=germany
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42978000/jpg/_42978611_pragdemoap203body.jpg
The rally was not large - but polls show most Czechs oppose the base
The US says expanding the defence system will protect both America and Europe from any attack by Iran or other so-called "rogue states".
But the Czech government, which has launched formal talks on the base with Washington, appears to be having difficulty persuading its citizens.
Neighbouring Poland - set to host US interceptor rockets - has seen similar protests.
READ MORE -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6697757.stm
Protesters gather in Poland ahead of Bush's visit
08/ 06/ 2007
GDANSK, June 8 (RIA Novosti) - More than 100 people have gathered in the center of Jarata, northern Poland, in protest against a visit by the U.S. president, who is scheduled to arrive at the Baltic resort later Friday.
George Bush will meet with his close ally Lech Kaczynski, and is expected to discuss the deployment of elements of a U.S. missile shield in Poland, plans that have proved highly unpopular among the Polish population.
The demonstrators gathered outside the Jurata's central train station where they were blocked by police.
U.S. plans to deploy an interceptor missile base in northern Poland and an anti-missile radar in the Czech Republic have provoked a furious response in Russia, which has warned that the bases could become the targets of Russian pinpoint missile strikes.
Bush is traveling from the Group of Eight summit in nearby Germany, where he fell ill on the final day and had to pull out of talks with other world leaders. At the summit, he held talks with President Vladimir Putin, at which the Russian leader proposed a compromise in the missile shield dispute, offering the Pentagon joint use of the Gabala radar that Russia rents from Azerbaijan.
In an interview with the Czech newspaper Mlada fronta Dnes in late May, the right-wing Polish president described the potential deployment as "a purely defense-related issue." He said U.S. missiles would protect his country from "rogue states" such as Iran and North Korea.
Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the president's twin brother, said earlier in the year that the U.S. missile shield could also give Warsaw a lever against Russia's influence.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20070608/66932472.html
Iran Says U.S. Case for Europe Anti-Missile Shield Is a `Joke'
By Ed Johnson
June 4 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. case for a missile defense shield to protect Europe from Iran is the ``joke of the year'' because Iranian weapons cannot reach the continent, said Ali Larijani, the country's chief nuclear negotiator.
Iran has no intention of attacking its most important commercial partner, the official Islamic Republic News Agency cited Larijani as saying yesterday.
``Iranian missiles do not reach Europe'' and it's hard to believe U.S. authorities don't know that, Larijani said, according to the report.
The U.S. plans to base interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic as part of a system it says is necessary to defend against long-range missile attacks from countries such as Iran. Russia opposes the planned shield, saying it will threaten Russian security.
The issue has strained U.S.-Russian relations and last week the government in Moscow said it successfully tested a weapon it claimed was immune to all defense shields.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week the planned shield risked turning Europe into a ``powder keg.'' He dismissed American concerns that Iran could threaten the U.S. and Europe. Iranian missiles now have a maximum range of 1,100 miles (1,700 kilometers) and by 2012 they may have missiles with a range of 1,500 miles, too short to justify a missile shield, Putin said.
The U.S. and Iran severed diplomatic ties in 1979 after the taking of hostages at the U.S. embassy in the Iranian capital, Tehran. The U.S. is leading international efforts to increase sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. The Bush administration is also demanding Iran stop arming Shiite militias in neighboring Iraq.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=aH9_iTEfmfPU&refer=germany