PETITION to hold a referendum concerning the location of a National Missile Defense base of the United States of America in the Czech Republic

The United States wishes to construct a military base in the Czech Republic, which is supposed to protect the US against attack by balistic missiles. However, this base would not protect the Czech Republic. On the contrary, it would subject us to the risk of a nuclear attack in the event of a conflict. The base would be part of the National Missile Defense pogramme of the United States (NMD), which plays a key role in the military and politicak strategy of the United States. If such a base is built, the Czech Republic will become an integral part of the global strategy of the United States without any possibility to effect US policies and without any guarantee that the interests of our population will be taken into account in an eventual crisis situation. This is unacceptable from our perspective. The news of the plans to locate a base in the Czech Republic have been trickling down to the public for two years now. We are particularly concerned that our government, political representatives and most of the media have to this day done everything possible to keep the negotiations with the US secret and suppress any public debate about the issue. All this is happening just 15 years after the last Soviet soldiers left occupied Czechoslovakia. The presence of the military forces of a foreign state and its missile bases on our soil was a result of the Cold War and it also led to the further exascerbation of the Cold War. The current attempt to place a base here, this time from the other direction, would serve to reawaken the Cold War in Europe and could reignite a new arms race. It is unthinkable that a democratic country should make a decision of such long-range impact, as the acceptance of a foreign military base on its soil, without an open debate. Neither the government nor Parliament has the mandate to make such a decision alone. This is a question which requires the input of the broad public because the population will have to live with the effects of such a base long after the current Parliament finishes its term and all the current polititians are retired. The only responsible way to make such serious decision is by referendum.

Therefore, we request that the constitutional authorities of the Czech Republic call a nationwide referendum asking the following question:

Do you agree with the construction and existence of a National Missile Defense base of the United States of America in the Czech Republic?

The petition commission is made up of the following individuals:
Štěpán Steiger, Katovická 408, 181 00 Praha 8
Petr Kužvart, Za Zelenou liškou 967, 140 00 Praha 4
Jan Májíček, Vondrousova 1197, 163 00 Praha 6
Arie Farnam, Na Skuhrovci 788, 251 64 Mnichovice
Rudolf Převrátil, Mikovcova 591/12, 120 00 Praha 2

The legal representative of the commission is:
Rudolf Převrátil, Mikovcova 591/12, 120 00 Praha 2, rudolf@prevratil.cz