Czech Republic

September 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., said the following today regarding President Obama’s European missile defense announcement:

President Obama has made a sound choice that will improve our security. The President’s decision focuses on fielding effective capabilities to defend our forward deployed force and allies in Europe against the real and existing missile threat from Iran, which consists of short- and medium-range missiles, rather than only against a potential future long-range threat.    » read more »

Statement by David Wright, co-director of UCS's Global Security Program

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (September 17, 2009) — President Obama's announcement today that his administration is scrapping plans to deploy a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic was seen as a "victory for common sense" by experts at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). As noted by leading scientists in a letter to the president in July, the missile defense system slated for Eastern Europe "has not been proven and does not merit deployment. It would offer little or no defensive capability, even in principle."

Below is a statement by Dr. David Wright, a physicist and co-director of UCS's Global Security Program:    » read more »

WASHINGTON, April 6, 2009 -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today said that he will attend the Group of Eight (G8) Agricultural Ministerial in Treviso, Italy, April 18-20.

"Hunger and malnutrition afflict more than one billion people around the world, causing human suffering, political instability and economic stagnation," said Vilsack. "This ministerial affirms our strong commitment to global food security and provides a unique opportunity to work with other agriculture ministers in developing a shared strategy to deal with food security issues."    » read more »

17 June 2008 -- U.S. officials say there are no talks with Lithuania about hosting a missile defense site, even though talks with Poland's new government have been moving more slowly than the United States would like. But the Pentagon spokesman says time is running out on the Bush administration and officials might be forced to move to what he calls "a backup option."

The Pentagon and State Department spokesmen are disputing a statement attributed to Poland's chief negotiator (Witold Waszczykowski) by the Reuters News Service. The report says the United States has opened a parallel set of talks with Lithuania in case the effort to negotiate the placement of missile interceptors in Poland fails.    » read more »

15 May 2008 -- A House of Representatives committee has voted down attempts by Republicans to restore more than $200 million for a planned U.S. missile defense system in Europe. A final decision on funding must await House and Senate votes on separate versions of a more than $500 billion defense authorization measure for 2009, and negotiations to resolve differences.

The Bush administration wants to place 10 land-based interceptor missiles in Poland, and a related radar installation in the Czech Republic, as a NATO defense against potential ballistic missile launches on Europe, with a focus on potential Iranian threats.

The plan is controversial, and has increased tensions with Russia, which views the future system as a threat, and has faced opposition from congressional Democrats.    » read more »

New research shows small and medium businesses in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland are ready to embrace new technologies

BUDAPEST, Hungary; PRAGUE, Czech Rep. & WARSAW, Poland - April 3, 2008 - Advanced information and communications technology is a key differentiator that can help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) grow their business, become more competitive and operate more efficiently within international supply chains. As part of Cisco's continued commitment to Central and Eastern Europe, Cisco CapitalTM today announced the availability of its EasyLease financing program through local finance organisations in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.    » read more »

Washington, Feb. 26, 2008 — U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez and Czech Republic Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek met to discuss bilateral trade. Following the meeting they held a press conference to highlight the plight of the Cuban people, with whom the Czech people stand in solidarity as a nation that has made a successful transition from what Gutierrez called the “tyranny of communism” to democracy. Gutierrez is pictured giving Topolanek a bracelet imprinted with the Spanish word for change, “cambio,” which are worn in solidarity with the Cuban people.    » read more »

01 September 2007, Osaka, Japan (By David Byrd) -- The United States has won the gold medals in the men's and women's relay while an American took the pole vault title at the World Athletics Championships in Osaka, Japan. VOA's David Byrd was trackside and has this report on the action.

Tyson Gay of the United States won his third world championship gold medal this week. Gay, who won the men's 100-meter and 200-meters titles, was the third runner in the U.S. 4x100 men's relay.    » read more »

Bush insists Czech Republic, Poland remain part of anti-missile plan

02 July 2007 -- Washington -- President Bush, meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kennebunkport, Maine, welcomed the Russian president’s proposal to expand a shared missile defense network to include Russia, the United States and European allies via the NATO-Russia Council.

The Russian and U.S. presidents met July 1-2 in at the Bush family’s summer home in Kennebunkport.    » read more »