Prague - US Defence Secretary Robert Gates will be holding talks in Prague next week on US plans for its missile shield on Czech soil, Czech Defence Ministry spokesman Jan Pejsek said Thursday. Gates is to meet Tuesday with the President Vaclav Klaus, Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanova, Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, Social Democratic opposition leader Jiri Paroubek, other MPs and also likely with Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, several government officials confirmed to Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
A number of US officials, including President George W Bush, have visited Prague to promote the US plan since Washington asked the Czech Republic to host the controversial facility in January.
Washington, which says that its missile shield is designed to protect against long-range missiles from rogue states such as Iran, also asked Warsaw to place 10 interceptor missiles on Polish soil.
Despite adverse public opinion, Czech and Polish governments entered into bilateral talks with the United States. Both countries are members of NATO and the European Union.
In the Czech Republic, the parliament is expected to decide the fate of the deployment early next year. The Czech centre-right ruling coalition so far lacks a majority for the project in the closely- divided lower house.
The plan to place the US bases in the Central European members of NATO and the European Union has received a lukewarm welcome across Europe and a frosty one in Russia.
