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Sarkozy chides radar base

French leader talks missile defense with Russia and U.S.

By Curtis M. Wong
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
November 19th, 2008 issue

The ongoing debate over the planned two-part U.S. missile-defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland has long been a focal point of local politics, and is increasingly drawing global players.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s recent criticism of these plans has sparked debate among European Union officials, many of whom feel he had no right to publicly take a stance on the issue.  
Sarkozy undercut the American rationale for a U.S. missile shield in Central Europe Nov. 14 at a summit with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Nice, saying that the system “would bring nothing to security in Europe ... it would complicate things, and make them move backward.”  
He then offered a plea to Russia to halt its plan to put missiles into the Baltic Sea region of Kaliningrad — a threat made just hours after the U.S. presidential election — at least until the middle of next year.
At a global financial summit in Washington, D.C. the following day, however, Sarkozy softened his views on the issue. “Ultimately, it could be a complement against a missile threat coming from elsewhere ... for example, Iran,” he said.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Sarkozy has no right to make such remarks.
“The president of France … has expressed his view, but it will have no influence on what will happen with the project,” Tusk told the Polish news agency PAP. “It is, above all, an American project. … I don’t think that third countries, even such good friends as France, have a right to express themselves on this issue.”
Local officials similarly expressed surprise at the French leader’s latest declarations.
“France has never consulted such a standpoint with us,” said Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra. “As far as the French presidency mandate for the EU-Russia summit goes, it did not contain any mention of the U.S. missile shield.”
David Seich, the foreign committee deputy chairman from the senior ruling Civic Democratic Party, agreed, criticizing what he called Sarkozy’s erratic views on the issue. “His opinions and attitudes often stem from the French interests at the given moment,” he said.  

Curtis M. Wong can be reached at cwong@praguepost.com


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