CZECH REPUBLIC:Demonstrators vowed to defy an official ban on a march through Prague last night, which is protesting against US plans to build part of a missile defence system in the Czech Republic.
The Czech government announced last week that is was entering official talks with Washington over the building of a radar station in the country. This would operate in tandem with a missile base planned for construction in neighbouring Poland.
Some politicians and activists in both countries oppose the plan, however, saying it would bring little benefit to the central European nations, would make them a target for terror attacks, and would antagonise nearby Russia, which is highly critical of the project.
"We have called the protest rally to Wenceslas Square," said Jan Majicek, one of the leaders of the Czech "No Base" campaign, referring to the main square in the heart of Prague. "From there, the protesters want to march first to the US embassy . . . and then to the nearby government office. The march will take place despite the ban by the town hall," he pledged, after the Prague council complained about the disruption it would cause.
More than 100 people rallied outside the Presidential Palace in Warsaw at the weekend, in protest at the project, which Washington says would help protect the US and its European allies from missile attack by so-called rogue states such as Iran and North Korea. Russia is deeply opposed to the radar station, which it claims is aimed against Moscow and could spark a new arms race in eastern Europe.
"Whichever arguments are presented to us . . . they do not stand up to any scrutiny," said Russian foreign ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin. "We are planning to discuss all of this seriously with both the United States and its European partners."
