President Vaclav Klaus said today he will sign the treaty without hesitation. The treaty was signed by U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Czech counterpart Karel Schwarzenberg in Prague on Tuesday. The base, to be built at the Brdy military district, some 90km southwest of Prague, is to be part of the U.S. anti-missile shield. It is opposed by about three fifths of Czechs and it will probably be difficult to push it through the Chamber of Deputies where the opposition Social Democrats (CSSD) and Communists (KSCM) as well as some government coalition deputies are against it. On the other hand the government may Talks on treaty on U.S. troops' stay in CzechRep still underway ...
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People supply food to radar critics, MPs might visit protest site ... be helped by four CSSD defectors. The government will not probably press on the deputies to start discussing the treaty now that support is uncertain. Besides, negotiations on the other agreement, SOFA that defines the conditions of the stay of U.S. soldiers in the Czech Republic has not yet been completed. Czech chief negotiator Tomas Pojar, first deputy foreign minister, said today it is probable that parliament will take the final vote only "after the presidential election in the United States" that are scheduled for November. Approval of the treaty in the Senate will probably be smooth because it is dominated by the senior government Civic Democratic Party (ODS). The agreement could start to be discussed after the October regional and Senate elections. The Chamber of Deputies approves international treaties in two reading. In first reading, the deputies decide on whether or not they will reject the document, or whether they will pass it on to commmittees for assessment. According to the valid rules, second reading continues 60 days after first reading.
(Ceske Noviny)
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