Czech Republic, U.S. ink missile shield treaty despite opposition

The U.S. Navy can also protect the Czech Republic and the whole territory with the AEGIS system thanks to the radar base, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pointed out. PRAGUE, July 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Czech counterpart Karel Schwarzenberg signed here on Tuesday a missile shield treaty despite protests from the Czech public and Russia, and she called it a key treaty of 21st century. Rice said the signature of the main treaty on the stationing of a U.S. radar base on Czech soil is important not only for the United States and the Czech Republic, but also for NATO and the whole international community. She emphasized that the threat of a missile attack is not "imaginary" as Iran continues enriching uranium. The document signed on Tuesday is a key treaty of the 21st century, she... [read full story]