"We
would be glad to play our part [in the missile defense
project]... For the moment, we have no concrete schemes,"
Schwarzenberg, who is also the country's foreign minister,
said after talks with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton in Washington.
He
also said concrete plans may emerge after discussions
on the issue by NATO members and between the U.S. and
Russia.
Czech
Prime Minister Petr Necas earlier said his country was
ready to host an early warning radar on its territory.
Clinton,
in her turn, said the United States "greatly appreciated
the Czech Republic's strong support of a European missile
defense and NATO missile defense system."
"We
have discussed in detail at the highest levels of our
defense cooperation what role the Czech Republic might
play if it so chooses," she said. "But that
is something that we are in constant consultations about,
and we will continue to work toward a mutually satisfactory
outcome."
Russia
and NATO agreed to cooperate on the so-called European
missile shield during the NATO-Russia Council summit in
Lisbon in November 2010. NATO insists there should be
two independent systems that exchange information, while
Russia favors a joint system.
Russia
is opposed to the planned deployment of U.S. missile defense
systems near its borders, claiming they would be a security
threat. The U.S. is reluctant to provide legally binding
guarantees that the system will not be directed against
Russia.
