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General News
10/23/2009 12:11 PM ET
(RTTNews) -
In a meeting with top Czech government officials Friday, Vice President Joe Biden convinced the Czech Republic to go along with the new U.S. missile defense strategy.
The Czech Republic was initially angered when President Barack Obama announced in September that the U.S. would scrap a missile defense strategy established by the Bush administration to set up missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic to monitor and defend Europe from possible missile strikes from Iran.
The reasoning given by the Obama administration behind the decision was that Iran was not close to acquiring a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile, and since the defense system was designed to intercept those kinds of missiles, it wasn't needed.
In its place, the Obama administration brought forth a plan that would focus more on short and medium-range missiles and would make use of ship-based interceptor missiles in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
After Biden's visit to the Czech Republic Friday, Czech officials said they are willing to participate.
"I used the opportunity to express our readiness as a NATO member to participate because the new architecture is going to be NATO-based and the Czech Republic is ready to participate," said Czech Republic Prime Minister Jan Fischer.
Whether the commitment on the part of the Czech Republic continues remains to be seen, as Fischer is only a caretaker for the prime minister position until national elections next spring, when the issue of Czech support for the new plan could be a campaign issue.
by RTT Staff Writer
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