FM: Czech, U.S. deal on missile system may be signed in May

BUCHAREST, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said here Thursday that his country may sign an agreement early in May with the United States on the stationing of a controversial U.S. radar base on Czech soil.

"The beginning of May is the first opportunity to sign it," he told reporters after hours of talks with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on the sidelines of a NATO summit.

The deal came after the two sides overcame the last sticking point over the stationing of Czech army experts at the U.S.-run Brdy station.

Czech officials said that the U.S. agreed to provide Czech officers with a comprehensive overview of the radar's operations.

"The Czech approach and facility" was included as "part of the NATO defence systems," Schwarzenberg said.

The agreement is expected to irritate Russia, which is strongly opposed to the deployment of the system envisaged by the U.S. to protect NATO nations from being attacked by a potential Iranian missile.

U.S. President George W. Bush will talk about the matter with his Russian Counterpart Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi Sunday.

The Czech radar base is intended to form part of a missile defense system in Eastern Europe with a second site in Poland, where interceptor missiles will be deployed.