February 21, 2007	Wednesday	Safar 3, 1428

WARSAW, Feb 20: The Czech Republic said on Tuesday it would not be intimidated by Russia over plans to site parts of a US missile defence system on its territory and said attempts at “blackmail” by Moscow would backfire.

Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said threats by Russian officials over the plans, which would involve placing a radar system on Czech land and a missile battery in Poland, would only make Czechs more determined to defend themselves.

“The Czechs will now think the shield is

even more necessary,” Schwarzenberg told Reuters on the sidelines of a business conference in Warsaw.

“We have quite an experience with Russians. You have to make clear to them you won’t succumb to blackmail. Once you give in to blackmail, there’s no going back. We have to be strong.” Russia’s strategic forces commander, General Nikolai Solovtsov, said on Monday that Russia would be capable of firing missiles at the Czech Republic and Poland if the ex-communist states agreed to host the US defence system.

He said any decision to fire would have to be made by the Kremlin, but that militarily it was possible to hit targets in both countries.

On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov tried to calm the waters, saying Russia wanted to avoid an arms race and that it hoped to work in a team with the West.

Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek summoned Russia’s ambassador in Prague for “consultations” to take place later this week, a spokesman for Topolanek said.

Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski told Polish radio that comments by Solovtsov were “attempts to scare”.

The United States says the system is designed to counter missiles fired by what Washington calls “rogue states” such as Iran and North Korea.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin struck out at the United States this month, accusing Washington of trying to force its will on the world.—Reuters