Czech, U.S. fail to agree on radar accord

The Czech and U.S. military experts have not yet agreed on all the points in the SOFA agreement that defines the legal framework of the U.S. radar base and possible stay of the base's U.S. staff on Czech territory, the Czech Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

However, a consensus on certain parts of the agreement has been reached, the ministry said.

The negotiations will last until both sides are satisfied with the wording of the agreement, it added.

The agreement deals with the future access of Czechs to the radar base, the condition of car operation in the vicinity of the radar, the use of weapons and the legal status of the base and its employees, including the possible stationing of U.S. soldiers who will operate the radar on Czech territory.

According to Jackson McDonald, head of the American delegation from U.S. State Department, the exchanges of views took place in a warm and constructive atmosphere.

McDonald said that he was leaving Prague with the conviction that in the course of the negotiations the Czech and the USA would be able to reach an agreement advantageous for both sides.

The talks on the agreement and the second one connected with it will last for another few months. The agreements should be approved by the Czech parliament and the country's president.

A three-member group of U.S. Congressmen, headed by Democrat Ellen Tauscher, will come to Czech on Friday for further talks, the U.S. embassy said.

If both sides reach an agreement, the radar would be transported to Czech from the Marshall Islands of the United States.

The United States unveiled its plan in January to place a radar system in Czech and 10 long-range interceptor missiles in Poland capable of shooting down missiles.

A recent opinion poll showed more than two-thirds of Czech citizens oppose the establishment of the base.