Czechs increasingly oppose U.S. radar station

More and more Czechs stand up against  a proposal to set a U.S. radar station  at a military base near Prague, a survey indicated Tuesday.

According to the CVVM polling agency, 68 percent of respondents said they opposed the proposal, while 26 said they approved. In February, 61 percent said they opposed the idea in a similar poll.

The government-sponsored polling agency said it questioned 1,011 people on April 2-9, and said the margin of error for the survey was plus or minus three percentage points.

The U.S. wants to host a missile tracking radar system at the base, and is in talks with Poland to house 10 interceptor rockets on its territory as part of plans for a missile defense shield that Washington says would protect against a potential threat from the Middle East.

Czechs who oppose the plan say the base could endanger the country, and are also worried it could worsen relations with Russia, which has accused Washington of reviving the Cold War arms race.

The Czech government supports the base, and has agreed to start negotiations with Washington. Opposition parties have demanded a national referendum on the issue.