U.S., Czech Republic push missile shield

BERLIN, May 11 (UPI) -- The United States and the Czech Republic are pushing for a missile shield in Eastern Europe, despite domestic and international resistance.

On Thursday, official talks between Washington and Prague over the future of some 120 U.S. soldiers still stationed in the Czech Republic began yesterday near the Czech capital. Talks about the missile shield are to be finalized by the end of the year, despite significant opposition from the Czech public.

Prague continues to back the U.S. plan, which foresees 10 bunker-protected rockets to be station in Poland and a radar unit in the Czech Republic by 2013 to defend America and its allies in Europe against nuclear attacks from rogue states.

In a recent interview with the Berliner Zeitung newspaper, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg defended the controversial system.

"We think the anti-missile shield is a useful idea because we know how fast the development in Iran and other states can be," he said.

Russia has previously protested the plan, claiming it was a threat against its territory and provoking a new arms race in Europe.

European Union presidency holder Germany has generally supported the missile shield but would like to see it discussed in a bilateral framework.

On Friday, Schwarzenberg met German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier for talks in Berlin aimed at diffusing the conflict over the missiles.