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Consolation victory for Bush as alliance agrees on missile shield
US President George W. Bush scored a major victory at Bucharest when he won the support of the Nato summit for the proposal to build a missle defence system in Europe despite strong Russian opposition
- By Habib ToumiBahrain Bureau Chief
- Published: 01:45 April 4, 2008
Bucharest: US President George W. Bush scored a major victory at Bucharest when he won the support of the Nato summit for the proposal to build a missle defence system in Europe despite strong Russian opposition.
"The United States and the Czech Republic are pleased to announce the completion of negotiations on a missile defence agreement. We plan to sign the agreement in the near future," a joint statement distributed at the Nato summit said.
"This agreement is an important step in our efforts to protect our nations and our Nato allies from the growing threat posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction," the two countries said.
The agreement calls for the stationing of a US radar in the Czech Republic to track ballistic missiles. The radar will be linked to other US missile defence facilities in Europe and the United States. At a news conference on the sidelines of the summit, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwartzenberg said that the deal would be signed in early May.
"The beginning of May is the first opportunity to sign it," he told reporters following talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. No statement was issued by Poland on the issue. Bush's prestige had suffered a setback after his support for inviting Ukraine, Georgia and Macedonia to join the bloc had failed to bear fruits.
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