PRAGUE, June 5 Kyodo
(EDS: ADDING MORE QUOTES IN 6-8TH GRAFS)
U.S. President George W. Bush and Czech leaders agreed Tuesday that they will join forces to proceed with U.S. plans to build a missile defense shield in central Europe amid fierce objections from Russia.
Bush confirmed the policy during talks with Czech President Vaclav Klaus and Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek in Prague, the first leg of his eight-day, seven-nation European tour ending next Monday.
''We agreed with President Bush on that,'' Klaus told a news conference after the talks, though he spoke of the need to drum up ''maximum support'' from the Czech public on a ''very sensitive issue.''
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The accord came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a fresh verbal attack on the controversial project, which would involve hosting U.S. tracking radar in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in neighboring Poland.
Tensions are growing between the United States and Russia because of the plan. Putin recently likened the Bush administration to the Third Reich, while he denounced the United States for imperialism last week.
Though Washington says the plans are intended to counter threats from ''rogue'' states such as Iran or North Korea, Putin warned Monday that Moscow could redeploy missiles aimed at targets in Europe in retaliation.
''Russia is not our enemy...this is a purely defensive measure aimed not at Russia but at true threats,'' Bush said at the news conference with the Czech leaders.
''My message will be, Vladimir -- I call him Vladimir -- that you shouldn't fear a missile defense system,'' he said, adding, ''We'll be completely transparent.''
Bush and Putin are scheduled to meet on Thursday in Germany on the sidelines of an annual Group of Eight summit. They will meet again early next month at Bush's parents' retreat in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Russia is not alone in opposing the project, with some opinion polls in the Czech Republic, a former Soviet satellite but now a democratic North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally, showing more than two-thirds of the public against the plans.
The first round of negotiations on a missile defense system between the United States and the Czech Republic was held late last week.
Bush will move to Germany later Tuesday to attend the annual G-8 summit in the Baltic resort of Heiligendamm from Wednesday through Friday.
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