However, the final vote on the documents would be taken only in December after the presidential elections in the USA, Parkanova (junior government Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL) said.She said she expected a big battle over the treaties in the Chamber but hoped that the timetable of the ratification process would also allow the junior government Green Party (SZ) to support the stationing of the radar.The Greens want to postpone the ratification of the treaties until after the election of the new U.S.
president."Judging by the atmosphere of today's government meeting I dare say that the treaties will also have support Nigeria 'must ban' ex-minister ...
Czech PM's party may trade Lisbon treaty for U.S. base ...
Czech coalition would lose elections now - poll ... of the Greens. However, I do not deny that we really face big battles in the Chamber," Parkanova said.The Chamber of Deputies approves international agreements in two readings. In the first reading it is decided whether it will reject the document or will send it to its committees for further discussion.Parkanova said that the first reading would probably take place at the Chamber of Deputies October session.However, the government politicians will postpone the debate on the documents until the second week of the session which will be after the regional elections scheduled for October 17-18.The Chamber of Deputies is expected to make its final decision in December.The U.S. presidential elections will take place on November 4 and the new U.S. president will be inaugurated in January 2009.The future of the treaties on the radar base will be decided in the first reading. The opposition Social Democrats (CSSD) and the Communists (KSCM) have rejected the radar and they could propose that the Chamber reject the treaties.The government cannot be sure of finding enough votes in the Chamber to push the documents through.Apart from the left-wing opposition, two SZ deputies, Vera Jakubkova and Olga Zubova, have reservations about the stationing of the radar base on Czech soil and KDU-CSL deputy Ludvik Hovorka's position is not clear.It is advantageous for the government that some CSSD deputies made it clear in the past that they will support the radar.The government today approved the SOFA treaty that defines the conditions of the stay of U.S. soldiers within the radar base of the U.S. anti-missile defence system on Czech soil.The main bilateral treaty on the radar was signed by Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg and his U.S. counterpart, Condoleezza Rice, in Prague in July.The condition for the ratification of the treaties is also the approval by the Senate, the upper house of the Czech parliament.The government's position in the Senate is much easier since the senior ruling Civic Democrats (ODS) have a majority there.The Senate is not obliged to keep with the Chamber of Deputies' schedule in the approval of the documents.
(Ceske Noviny)
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