U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (L) and her Czech counterpart Karel Schwarzenberg talk with each other after signing the main treaty on the stationing of a U.S. radar base on Czech soil in Prague July 8, 2008. (Xinhua/Ceteka)
The U.S. Navy can also protect the Czech Republic and the whole territory with the AEGIS system thanks to the radar base, Rice pointed out.
Schwarzenberg said that the treaty is an expression of the Czech Republic's consistent security policy and that it will promote the security not only of the country, but of Europe and the whole Euro-Atlantic area.
The main treaty still needs to be approved by Czech parliament and President Vaclav Klaus. Negotiations about SOFA agreement that defines legal status of the U.S. soldiers at the planned radar base have not been completed yet.
The United States plans to build a radar base in the Brdy military district, some 90 kilometers southwest of the Czech capital Prague, along with an interceptor missile base in neighboring Poland.
Apart from the radar treaties, the United States and the Czech Republic are also ready to sign an agreement on cooperation in technology and industry.
