NATO Secretary-General George Robertson arrived in Prague Wednesday to discuss Czech Republic's progress in upgrading its armed forces and integration with the Alliance, which it joined two years ago.
Published:
23 February 2001 y., Friday
He arrived from Moscow, which is fiercely opposed to any further NATO expansion to the east, following the accession of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland into NATO in March 1999.
The main topic of discussion would be Prague's plans to buy between 24 and 36 Western-built supersonic jets planes to update its aging Soviet-era airforce, Robertson told state television before his arrival.
Czech President Vaclav Havel recently told AFP that Moscow "has not right to oppose NATO enlargement" into ex-communist countries in central and eastern Europe.
Robertson is also likely to discuss the outcome of his talks in Moscow, as well as preparations for a NATO summit in Prague in late 2002, officials said. The ailing Havel will meet with Robertson in hospital, where he has been for over a week after suffering a relapse of lung problems which forced him to cut short a foreign trip, his spokesman said.
On Wednesday Robertson was due to meet Havel, Foreign Minister Jan Kavan and Defense Minister Vladimir Vetchy. On Thursday he will meet Prime Minister Milos Zeman as well as parliament speaker Vaclav Klaus and Senate speaker Petr Pithart.
Šaltinis:
Agence France Presse
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
Kabul residents express mixed views on their country's future security ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's announcement of a withdrawal plan.
more »
The U.S Food and Drug Administration will release graphic warning labels for cigarette packages this week, to remind the American public about the dangers of smoking, moving away from the smaller print warnings currently found on cartons.
more »
Amateur video footage shows the immediate aftermath of Russian plane crash. There were 52 passengers and crew aboard the Tupolev-134 when it went down on Monday night.
more »
Israel's Arava Power Company has unveiled the country's first commercial solar field. The firm, which is investing almost $2 million on building a series of plants across the Negev desert hopes to start a "Solar Revolution" in the largely arid country.
more »
Shape-shifting robot mannequins are being used by an Estonian company to help solve one of the biggest problems for the online clothing industry - giving customers clothes which fit properly.
more »
NASA releases video of a solar flare erupting from the sun.
more »
Residents of the Argentine town of Villa la Angostura are warned to stay inside after a blanket of volcanic ash descends.
more »
An energy efficient home, measuring just 3 metres cubed, is helping people realise how to cut their carbon footprint.
more »
Remote, windswept Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean is being purged of its rabbits in a massive eradication programme designed to reverse more than a hundred years of environmental destruction.
more »
Space Shuttle Endeavour lands at the Kennedy Space Station in Florida for the last time after completing its mission to the International Space Station, as Space Shuttle Atlantis prepares for NASA’s last shuttle mission.
more »