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Axed US radar base turns into political football |
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Written by Tom Clifford, The Prague Post
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Thursday, 01 October 2009 |
Political leaders in the Czech Republic were sharply divided in their views following the White House’s decision to scrap the proposed missile shield in Poland and the radar base in the Czech Republic amid growing fears that the United States is turning its back on Central Europe.
US President Barack Obama announced Sept. 17 that he was scuttling plans to deploy 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a related radar base in the Czech Republic. He said Iranian missile technology is not as advanced as previously thought, hence the missile shield is redundant. Latest intelligence reports suggest Iran did not have, nor was close to having, missiles capable of hitting London, Paris or New York, and Tehran only has short and medium-range missiles, he said. Obama proposed to protect US allies in southern Europe and the Middle East with an existing sea-based system that requires no permanent land bases.
Feeling like a pawn
The shield had been proposed under President George W. Bush. The Prague Post reported on 2 September that the plan was about to be axed. “It is a cowardly decision,” said Jan Vidím, a Civic Democratic Party (ODS) politician and chairman of the parliamentary defense committee. “It wasn’t made by Obama himself, but it is the decision of the whole administration. It has nothing to do with Iran and its midrange rockets. The decision is purely political, in order to please Russia.”
ODS leader Mirek Topolánek said the decision threatened the Czech Republic.
“This is not good news for the Czech state, for Czech freedom and independence. It puts us in a position wherein we are not firmly anchored in terms of partnership, security and alliance, and that’s a certain threat,” he said. “For the Czech Republic, it is bad news. The missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland would contribute to security not only for our country, but large parts of Europe. I fear that this move, along with the latest incomprehensible turmoil at home, seriously undermines the position of the Czech Republic on the international scene. We’re losing our reputation as a stable state. After 20 years of involvement in Euro-Atlantic structures, this is a sign of some slowing or cooling of relations. The next election will be extremely important. It will decide whether we continue to strengthen Euro-Atlantic ties, or whether we go in the opposite direction – to the east.”
Threat was not there
Foreign Affairs Minister Jan Kohout met US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last Monday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Kohout said discussions centred on relations following the change in missile-defense strategy and an increased role for Czech science and industry in US space programmes. Clinton agreed on broader R&D cooperation without being specific.
Jirí Paroubek, leader of the opposition Social Democrats (CSSD), said the cancellation of the radar base was a “victory for the Czech people.”
“What we’ve been saying for three years has been confirmed: There’s no need for a US missile defense shield,” he said.
“The missile defense project reflected the thinking of the past and returned to the Cold War. We consider Topolánek’s hysterical statements that the United States has lost interest in Central Europe and [statements by] Vidím, who said it was cowardice, not only stupid but also dangerous. Politicising the US decision and using it for partisan campaigns is another ODS gamble with the fate of this country. We want to send a clear signal to the public that the security situation has not changed.”
President Václav Klaus denied ties between Prague and Washington are damaged. “I am 100 per cent convinced that this step by the American government does not mean any cooling of relations between the United States and the Czech Republic.”
Despite the radar shield being shelved, cooperation between the Czech Republic and the US continues, said Jan Pejsek, spokesman for the Defense Ministry.
“Mutual cooperation is not linked to missile defense or the radar station in Brdy. The Czech Republic is among the few countries that have signed a declaration on strategic cooperation in defense with the Americans.”
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