Monsters and Critics.com – USA
“Prague – US plans to place a missile defence radar in the Czech Republic cleared their first hurdle on Thursday, as the former Soviet satellite’s upper house passed the measure. ” …
“Russia has called the shield a danger to its own security and has threatened to aim its short-range missiles at the central European bases. ” …
Monsters and Critics.com – USA
“Prague – US plans to place a missile defence radar in the Czech Republic cleared their first hurdle on Thursday, as the former Soviet satellite’s upper house passed the measure. ” …
“Russia has called the shield a danger to its own security and has threatened to aim its short-range missiles at the central European bases. ” …
22.11.2008
Dear President-elect Obama:
Please accept our congratulations on your victory in the United States presidential election.
We address this appeal to you due to our concern for the preservation of the democratic process in the Czech Republic and for the security of the European community.
As you know, the Bush government and the Czech government have agreed to place the military radar base of the US National Missile Defense (NMD) system on Czech territory. Two thirds of the Czech citizenry do not, in the long term, agree with the arrangement. Despite thier opposition, the Czech government has signed agreements with the United States that are due to be ratified shortly by the Parliament. The current deputieswere elected before there was any public discussion about the project, however, and the involvement of the Czech Republic in the NMD system was not on any Czech parliamentary election platform.
The plan to place elements of this system in the heart of Europe is causing tension between USA and Russia, as well as between USA and the European Union, and will lead to a new expansion of the arms race. We are concerned that due to this advanced system, Europe will become the main battlefield in a potential international conflict and that the Czech Republic would be, due to the radar, the target of a first attack. The matter is made even more sensitive by the fact that after the fall of communism in 1989, the Czech people vowed that a foreign army would never again be stationed on their territory.
We kindly ask you to reassess the attitude of the US government towards the placement of NMD elements in Europe and to put a stop to this very dangerous and unstable project. We hope that the change so strongly symbolized by your victory will turn into reality, that the new American leadership can move us all in the direction of a world without wars and violence, and that the tendency towards the escalation of arms and military aggression will be replaced instead by investment into areas that contribute to real human development.
We entreat you as the president of a country that has long symbolized democracy to respect the will of the Czech citizens, who are being deprived of their democratic rights by their own government.
Yours faithfully,
Jan Tamás, spokesperson of Non-violence Movement
Dana Feminová, spokesperson of Europe for Peace
League Mayors against radar:
Jan Neoral, Trokavec mayor
Josef Řihák, Příbram mayor
Jitka Říhová, Láz mayor
Josef Hála, Jince mayor
Josef Vondrášek, Rožmitál pod Třemšínem mayor
Václav Hudec, Štítov mayor
Miroslav Leitermann, Nepomuk mayor
Ladislav Turek, Bohutín mayor
Josef Karas, Obecnice mayor
Stanislav Sláma, Drahlín mayor
Josef Škvára, Sádek mayor
Jan Kohout, Křešín mayor
Jiří Prokeš, Hluboš mayor
Radek Walter, Tochovice mayor
Václav Koubík, Hůrky mayor
Lubomír Fiala , Vísky mayor
Libor Štorkán, Felbabka mayor
Josef Hrubý, Zaječov mayor
Jiří Chvojka, Chaloupky mayor
Ladislav Stelšovský, Podluhy mayor
Bohumír Vítek, Volenice mayor
Karel Daniel, Vševidy mayor
Karel Dražan, Bezděkov mayor
Daniel Synek, Sedlice mayor
Pavel Hutr, Věšín mayor
Tomáš Čížek, Chrást mayor
Karel Palivec, Předmíř mayor
Stanislav Kramosil, Hvožďany mayor
Zdeněk Vrbka, Bratkovice mayor
Miloslav Suchý, Skořice mayor
Josef Stehlík, Vranovice mayor
In support
Giulietto Chiesa – EMP
Anna Curdova – deputy czech parliament
CAAB has also sent a message of congratulations to Barack Obama
AHN – USA November 18, 2008
The SOFA also gave Iraqi courts authority to try off-duty US soldiers who commit serious crimes in Iraq, assured that no permanent American military bases …
MOSCOW, November 18 (RIA Novosti) 18 November 2008
Russia is not satisfied with U.S. political guarantees on missile defense, the foreign minister said Tuesday …
As regards hypothetical political guarantees – they have been given to us repeatedly – on NATO non-expansion, on the issue of deploying significant armed forces on the territory of new NATO members, and on non-establishment of military bases …
“Arising out of the oral evidence given to the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) on 21 October 2008 by Lindis Percy (Coordinator with Laila Packer of CAAB), we are grateful for the opportunity to submit further examples and concerns on this issue of ‘policing and protest’.” …
CAAB further submission to the Joint Committee on Human Rights (pdf file)
Dan Froomkin Washingtonpost.com
November 17, 2008
… “‘The total withdrawal will be completed by December 31, 2011. This is not governed by circumstances on the ground,’ the spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, told Iraqi reporters, pointedly rejecting the more conditional language that the U.S. government had sought in the accord.” ….
… “there is no doubt that the accord, if passed by parliament, would sharply reduce the U.S. military’s power in Iraq. American soldiers would be required to seek warrants from Iraqi courts to execute arrests, and to hand over suspects to Iraqi authorities. U.S. troops would have to leave combat outposts in Iraqi cities by mid-2009, withdrawing to bases. …
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2008/11/17/BL2008111701579.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
Dan Froomkin Washingtonpost.com
November 17, 2008
… “‘The total withdrawal will be completed by December 31, 2011. This is not governed by circumstances on the ground,’ the spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, told Iraqi reporters, pointedly rejecting the more conditional language that the U.S. government had sought in the accord.” ….
… “there is no doubt that the accord, if passed by parliament, would sharply reduce the U.S. military’s power in Iraq. American soldiers would be required to seek warrants from Iraqi courts to execute arrests, and to hand over suspects to Iraqi authorities. U.S. troops would have to leave combat outposts in Iraqi cities by mid-2009, withdrawing to bases. …
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2008/11/17/BL2008111701579.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
By Scott Peterson
Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
November 17, 2008 edition
A new pact that faces final approval from parliament will keep US troops in Iraq for up to three more years. By June 2009 US forces will pull back to major bases. … The pact specifies that US units are to withdraw from Iraqi cities by June 2009, with a final countrywide pullout by the end of 2011.
Czech Happenings – Prague,Czech Republic
16 November 2008
Washington – It is important that French President Nicolas Sarkozy has recognised the Czech Republic’s right to decide on what defence system should be installed on its soil, Czech government official Marek Mora said in reaction to Sarkozy’s statement in Washington on Saturday.
It is also important that Sarkozy referred to the conclusions of this year’s Bucharest NATO summit when speaking about missile defence such as the planned U.S. bases in the Czech Republic and Poland, Mora, Czech deputy Vice-Prime Minister for EU affairs, told Czech reporters. …
