Czech govt withdraws treaties on U.S. base from Chamber

"However, we have not given up the ratification process," he said about the missile defence project.

Topolanek said the cabinet wanted to prevent the treaties' rejection.

The leftist opposition managed to include a vote in the treaties on the session's agenda on Wednesday in a situation where it seems it holds a majority due to missing coalition deputies.

Two deputies who were recently expelled from the junior ruling Green Party voted together with the opposition, enabling it to achieve a majority.

Topolanek recalled a similar case that occurred in December when the opposition blocked the passage of the 2009 operation plan of the Czech foreign missions.

However, four opposition deputies finally supported the plan in early February.

Topolanek pointed out that the Senate, the upper house of Czech parliament, passed the treaties on the U.S. base last November.

The government plans to renew the discussion on the U.S. base after its talks with the U.S. administration and NATO's summit in Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany, scheduled for April 3-4.

Together with a base with interceptor missiles in Poland, the radar base near Prague is to be part of Washington's missile defence shield aimed against a possible threat from rogue states such as Iran.

Czech cabinet members recently admitted that the construction of the base may be adjourned.

The opposition succeeded in including several other points in the session's agenda today, but the coalition was able to prevent the final vote on the agenda from taking place by using its right to ask for a break for a meeting of their deputies' groups.

The session is to continue on Wednesday discussing which points would be on its agenda.

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz