Global Security Newswire

Senior U.S. and Czech officials on Wednesday discussed Prague's potential role in the updated U.S. plan for European missile defense, the Czech News Agency reported (see GSN, Nov. 25, 2009).

The meeting involved Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon and Czech First Deputy Defense Minister Tomas Pojar.

Declining to reveal specific information about the meeting, Pojar said participants were "discussing absolutely concrete questions concerning our mutual interest."

Gordon said the Czech Republic's possible involvement in the system was addressed in the meeting.

The Obama administration last fall scrapped its predecessor's plan to deploy a radar system in the Czech Republic and missile interceptors in Poland. It intends in coming years instead to field sea- and land-based versions of the Standard Missile 3 system to counter the missile threat posed by nations such as Iran. Washington has said, though, that it wants Prague and Warsaw to remain involved in the effort (Czech News Agency/Prague Daily Monitor, Jan. 13).