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Czech official: Radar base not to affect people's health
28/7/2007 11:59

The radar base that the United States planned to station on Czech territory does not have a harmful effect on people's health or the environment, Czech government commissioner for the radar Tomas Klvana said yesterday.

Klvana said that neither of the villages near Misov, some 90 km southwest of Prague, in the vicinity of the radar lies in the direction in which the radar would transmit its signals.

"The future base will spread on the area of a few square kilometers, including the protection zone, and the radar itself will take the area of a few hectares," he said.

Apart from the protection within the US missile defense system, the radar will be also protected by the Czech army standard means, including the anti-aircraft protection system and other systems in the case of a crisis.

Studies showed that the radar does not have a harmful effect on people's health or the environment, said Klvana.

He said that the selected site could be considered one of the safest in the Czech Republic thanks to the multi-layer protection system.

A group of American experts would soon arrive on the spot to make additional measurements, he added.

This autumn a group of Czech specialists comprised of Defense Ministry experts and environmentalists will visit the Marshall Islands from where the US radar installation should be moved to Brdy, said Klvana.

The United States unveiled its plan in January to place a radar system in the Czech Republic and 10 interceptor missiles in Poland, as components of the missile defense shield.

The Brdy municipalities and the local inhabitants opposed the plan. According to a recent public opinion poll, more than two thirds of Czech citizens disagree with the installation of the base. The government parties are not united on the issue either.



Xinhua