The government officially promised to earmark a total of 1.25 billion crown for 22 Brdy municipalities to help them build infrastructure almost a year ago, but the mayors are still "at the beginning of the complicated path to the subsidies," they told CTK. The League of Mayors Against the Radar was established a year ago.
Now it associates representatives of some 40 municipalities from west and central Bohemia, situated near the Brdy military grounds, 90 km southwest of Prague, where the U.S. base is to be built. Though the League seemingly does not organise any events, it still exists, Josef Rihak (Social Democrats, CSSD), Mayor of Pribram, central Bohemia, said. Its members, along with civic associations and Russia says Europe in new arms race ...
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Locals still oppose U.S. radar in Czech Brdy district ... groups, participate in anti-radar protests, he added. "We are co-organising discussions, marches, protests," Rihak said. Trokavec Mayor Jan Neoral (independent), another sharp radar opponent, also confirmed that the league is not stagnating, but it takes part in a number of events. Rihak and other mayors said the state subsidies were just the government's effort "to bribe the municipalities." They stressed they had not changed their view of the radar in reaction to the money. The respective mayors mostly say they do not know about any state subsidies that the Brdy towns and villages have already received. However, deputy finance minister Ivan Fuksa (senior ruling Civic Democrats (ODS)), head of the commission for the development of the Brdy region, said over 1.38 million crowns had already been allotted to the Brdy municipalities in four cases for the project documentation. The ministry could release higher sums more quickly, but it is waiting until the municipalities submit their projects and invoices, Fuksa added. Most municipalities are still working out their projects. The United States plans to build a radar base in the Czech Republic and a base for ten interceptor missiles in Poland as part of the anti-missile shield that are to protect the United States and a large part of the European continent against missiles that states like Iran might launch. U.S. representatives have already signed treaties on the stationing of the missile defence elements with Poland and the Czech Republic. The treaties are yet to be ratified by the Czech and Polish parliaments. The Czech left-wing opposition as well as most of the Czech public still oppose the radar project. ($1=16.456 crowns)
(Ceske Noviny)
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