Prague - The negotiations about the planned US radar base in the Czech Republic has taken a new course as Prague declared its wish to have the Czech army modernized by the Americans.
Concretely, the Czech Republic would like to be assisted by the USA in its planned acquisition of military transport planes and modernization of anti-aircraft defense, informed Czech Television (ČT), a public service broadcaster.
So far, the government has been speaking only of scientific and economic cooperation with the USA.
"We have asked the USA for cooperation in acquisition of tactical transport aircrafts and we would like to discuss this issue together with radar base negotiations," said the Deputy Minister of Defense Martin Barták.
According to the ČT, the Czech Army plans to get two Hercules transport planes that would replace small and obsolete Antonov aircrafts still used for transporting Czech soldiers to foreign missions.
Concerning the air defense, Prague is probably interested in the US Patriot system.
Military technique cooperation is not likely to be included in any of the treaties that are being prepared and that are going to be discussed by Czech parliament this year in summer.
The negotiations about a treaty on military cooperation are yet at the very beginning.
Bargain or haggling?
While parliament´s Defense Committee Head Jan Vidím and Christian Democratic (KDU-ČSL) MP Pavel Severa see these demands as a good idea, the Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs Petr Hulínský from the Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) has called them "an inacceptable haggle".
In addition, Barták informed that the Czech Republic is not going to participate in the NATO Globemaster project within which some NATO member states plan to jointly acquire, maintain and use two or three C-17 transport aircrafts.
According to Czech Television, the reason why Prague has refused to participate in the project is the recent increase in planned costs.
