PRAGUE, Czech Republic: Most Czechs continued to oppose plans to place parts of a U.S. missile defense system in the country, according to a poll released Tuesday.


According to a public poll conducted by the CVVM agency, 70 percent of respondents oppose the idea of hosting a missile tracking radar system at a base in a military area near Prague as part of the system.

The government-sponsored agency said a total of 1,056 people aged 15 and older were questioned between Dec 3-10, with 23 percent approving the plan. Seven percent were undecided.

The margin of error for the survey was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The latest result of the poll conducted by the agency six times last year indicated the highest number of opponents so far. In April and November, 68 percent of respondents were against the missile defense base.

The U.S. is in talks with the Czech government about the missile plans. Washington also wants to place 10 interceptor missiles in Poland as part of a defense shield that U.S. officials say is needed to protect against a possible threat from Iran.

The Czech government has been receptive to the proposal, which has been strongly opposed by Russia.

Opposition parties have demanded a national referendum on the issue.


Source (American): International Herald Tribune, 08.01.2008