Czech Premier Mirek Topolánek Meeting NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer

After his talks with Premier Mirek Topolánek NATO Secretary-General Scheffer said he perceived the negotiations between the United States and the Czech Republic on the location of a radar base for an anti-missile system in the Czech Republic as a bilateral matter between the two states. He added that the NATO-level discussion on the Alliance’s eventual anti-missile system in Europe would evolve in a time horizon coming after that bilateral agreement and that the issue would be later moved to the level of the Alliance. He also said he was convinced that the negotiations would end in a consensus. He added that the NATO talks in Riga had anticipated the issue of the Alliance’s anti-missile system and that the current debate between the United States and the Czech Republic may be expected to revive the topic of the Alliance’s anti-missile system in Europe.
NATO Secretary-General Scheffer also highly appreciated the Czech Republic’s contribution in Kosovo and Afghanistan, emphasizing that NATO’s co-operation with the European Union was absolutely essential in those regions.
Czech Premier Mirek Topolánek and NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer also discussed the Czech Republic’s budget allocated to defence spending. The Premier briefed the NATO Secretary-General on the intention of the current Czech Government to reverse the downward trend in this particular chapter of the Czech Government’s budget. The Czech Prime Minister also expressed support for the candidacy of the former Czech Defence Minister and current Deputy for European Affairs Jiøí Šedivý for the post of the NATO Deputy Secretary-

Press Department of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
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