By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Warsaw :The US has abandoned plans to deploy a missile early warning centre as part of a European missile defence system in the Czech Republic, a media report said Wednesday.
“The Czech Republic will look for other options to participate in the project,” Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra was quoted as saying by CTK news agency after his meeting with US Deputy Defence Secretary William Linn.
The centre was to replace a radar facility planned by the former US administration under president George Bush.
The Barack Obama administration scrapped the plan in 2009 and opted for a missile early warning centre instead.
Vondra said last week that Prague did not want a mere “consolation prize” from the US to make up for the scrapping of the original plans.
Russia is opposed to the US plans to deploy missile defence systems near its borders, claiming they would be a security threat. The US is reluctant to provide legally binding guarantees that the system will not be directed against Russia.