Senate chairman Premysl Sobotka (senior government Civic Democrats, ODS) said, on the contrary, the possibility of interlinking the two treaties is logical. They were speaking in the Questions of Vaclav Moravec discussion programme on Czech Television. Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg (for the Greens) said he is not in favour of the possible interlinking of the two treaties. "I have heard about the considerations, but Nigeria 'must ban' ex-minister ...
Czech Foreign Minister optimistic about ratification of EU treaty ... I do not hold this opinion.
I consider both treaties to be of key importance for the security of the Czech Republic and for our future," he said. They were reacting to Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek's (ODS) statement last week. He said the rejection of the radar treaty might negatively influence ODS lawmakers in approving the Lisbon treaty. He added he himself does not consider it entirely acceptable to link the two treaties this way. "To want to trade one treaty for another is scandalous," Zaoralek said. He said the Lisbon treaty is no gift for the CSSD. "Arguments, not a barter trade should decide about the ratification," he said. The treaty on the radar base was signed by Schwarzenberg and his U.S. counterpart Condoleezza Rice in Prague in July. The radar is ro be stationed in the Brdy military district, 90km southwest of Prague, and be part of the U.S. anti-missile shield. Support for it in parliament is not sure as yet. More than two thirds of Czechs are opposed to the project. The two countries have not yet signed a treaty on the status of U.S. soldiers in the Czech Republic. Schwarzenberg said today it should be signed by the U.S. presidential election in November. Some ODS politicians are opposed to the Lisbon treaty. On their initiative, the ODS-dominated Senate sent the treaty to the Constitutional Court to check whether it is in harmony with the Czech constitutional order.
(Ceske Noviny)
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