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Czechs, readying for Obama, aren't US pushovers
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PRAGUE – They won't take prisoners from Guantanamo. And the prime minister dissed the Obama administration's economic plan as a "road to hell." With friends like the Czechs, President Barack Obama might be tempted to wonder, who needs enemies?
In fact, the Czech Republic — where Obama makes a weekend stop as part of his European tour — is a staunch American ally, and one of the few sending more troops to Afghanistan.
But it's not afraid to push back at Washington, making the ex-communist country one of a rising number of allies with attitude.
Obama is confronting "what Europeans regard as their own best interests, which are not the same as the American ones," said Reginald Dale, a Europe scholar at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Czechs and others across the "New Europe" — including EU newcomers Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Romania — practically tripped over each other to join former President George W. Bush's "coalition of the willing" and send troops to Afghanistan and Iraq.
Their governments seemed intent on repaying the United States for helping them shake off decades of communist rule and gain membership in NATO and the European Union.
But countries like the Czech Republic since have shed their timidity and found their own voice.
The Czechs say they'll still treat Obama like a superstar, and they remain stalwart friends of America. Just not at any cost.
"We're allies in NATO, but until recently we did everything they wanted us to do," said Jaroslav Hochman, a 47-year-old Prague resident.
Underscoring how the Czechs aren't afraid to speak their minds, Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek caused a stir a week ago by denouncing Obama's push to inject hundreds of billions of dollars into the foundering economy as a "road to hell."
Later, explaining himself, Topolanek stressed that his country "has been a long-standing partner of the U.S." He just wanted to make clear that "a prescription for recovery in one country can be toxic for other countries."
European leaders have largely rebuffed Obama's calls to join the U.S. in its effort to stimulate recovery. Many contend Europe's generously funded welfare systems already accomplish the same things: keeping people in their homes — and making sure they remain consumers of goods and services.
Obama arrives late Saturday in Prague, where he'll meet with EU leaders on Sunday and deliver a speech on the threat posed by nuclear weapons proliferation. Obama also is expected to meet briefly with Vaclav Havel, the playwright and former president who led the 1989 Velvet Revolution that peacefully toppled communism.
Obama's visit comes less than two weeks after the Czech government, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, collapsed amid bitter political infighting over the economic crisis and other issues.
The Czechs recently agreed to boost their troops in Afghanistan from 415 to 480. But they've pulled out nearly all their forces from Iraq, and many people vehemently oppose a plan pushed by the Bush administration to install radar dishes near Prague as part of a missile defense system. Interceptor rockets would be based in neighboring Poland.
Washington argued that the shield would help thwart an attack from Iran or elsewhere in the Middle East. But the plan has outraged Russia, which views it as a provocation, and Obama — trying to ease strained relations with Moscow — has suggested he may be willing to reconsider.
Thousands of protesters were expected to march through Prague on Sunday to call for the system to be scrapped. Many Czechs worry their country will become a terrorist target if it acquiesces to Washington.
"We will welcome the U.S. president and his policy of disarmament, but we will show our firm intention to not accept military troops of foreign powers on our territory," said Jan Tamas, a protest organizer.
Poland, another faithful U.S. ally, has bristled at the possibility that the missile shield may be abandoned to improve U.S.-Russia relations.
That "raises the question of whether the victim of such an agreement should be a very loyal ally like Poland," President Lech Kaczynski said last month. If Obama shelves the plan, he added, it would "not be a friendly gesture" toward Poland.
Topolanek, meanwhile, said he won't budge on his country's refusal to take prisoners from the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Obama administration wants to close Guantanamo by next January, but it's having trouble persuading allies to take detainees. Poland also has refused.
"We do not expect to yield to the pressure to accept prisoners," the Czech leader said earlier this week. "We have no facilities for it ... It will bring many problems."
Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg was even more blunt, telling reporters: "The United States caught them, so it should also take care of them."
Even so, Obama can expect an enthusiastic welcome to Prague, where officials expected 30,000 people to turn out.
The Czechs issued limited-edition gold medallions bearing Obama's likeness, and they sold out within hours. "European leaders want to be seen with Obama, preferably with his arms around their shoulders and a big smile, because he's so popular in Europe," said Dale. "Nobody's going to try and raise awkward subjects with him."
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PRAGUE – They won't take prisoners from Guantanamo. And the prime minister dissed the Obama administration's economic plan as a "road to hell." With friends like the Czechs, President Barack Obama might be tempted to wonder, who needs enemies?
In fact, the Czech Republic — where Obama makes a weekend stop as part of his European tour — is a staunch American ally, and one of the few sending more troops to Afghanistan.
But it's not afraid to push back at Washington, making the ex-communist country one of a rising number of allies with attitude.
Obama is confronting "what Europeans regard as their own best interests, which are not the same as the American ones," said Reginald Dale, a Europe scholar at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Czechs and others across the "New Europe" — including EU newcomers Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Romania — practically tripped over each other to join former President George W. Bush's "coalition of the willing" and send troops to Afghanistan and Iraq.
Their governments seemed intent on repaying the United States for helping them shake off decades of communist rule and gain membership in NATO and the European Union.
But countries like the Czech Republic since have shed their timidity and found their own voice.
The Czechs say they'll still treat Obama like a superstar, and they remain stalwart friends of America. Just not at any cost.
"We're allies in NATO, but until recently we did everything they wanted us to do," said Jaroslav Hochman, a 47-year-old Prague resident.
Underscoring how the Czechs aren't afraid to speak their minds, Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek caused a stir a week ago by denouncing Obama's push to inject hundreds of billions of dollars into the foundering economy as a "road to hell."
Later, explaining himself, Topolanek stressed that his country "has been a long-standing partner of the U.S." He just wanted to make clear that "a prescription for recovery in one country can be toxic for other countries."
European leaders have largely rebuffed Obama's calls to join the U.S. in its effort to stimulate recovery. Many contend Europe's generously funded welfare systems already accomplish the same things: keeping people in their homes — and making sure they remain consumers of goods and services.
Obama arrives late Saturday in Prague, where he'll meet with EU leaders on Sunday and deliver a speech on the threat posed by nuclear weapons proliferation. Obama also is expected to meet briefly with Vaclav Havel, the playwright and former president who led the 1989 Velvet Revolution that peacefully toppled communism.
Obama's visit comes less than two weeks after the Czech government, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, collapsed amid bitter political infighting over the economic crisis and other issues.
The Czechs recently agreed to boost their troops in Afghanistan from 415 to 480. But they've pulled out nearly all their forces from Iraq, and many people vehemently oppose a plan pushed by the Bush administration to install radar dishes near Prague as part of a missile defense system. Interceptor rockets would be based in neighboring Poland.
Washington argued that the shield would help thwart an attack from Iran or elsewhere in the Middle East. But the plan has outraged Russia, which views it as a provocation, and Obama — trying to ease strained relations with Moscow — has suggested he may be willing to reconsider.
Thousands of protesters were expected to march through Prague on Sunday to call for the system to be scrapped. Many Czechs worry their country will become a terrorist target if it acquiesces to Washington.
"We will welcome the U.S. president and his policy of disarmament, but we will show our firm intention to not accept military troops of foreign powers on our territory," said Jan Tamas, a protest organizer.
Poland, another faithful U.S. ally, has bristled at the possibility that the missile shield may be abandoned to improve U.S.-Russia relations.
That "raises the question of whether the victim of such an agreement should be a very loyal ally like Poland," President Lech Kaczynski said last month. If Obama shelves the plan, he added, it would "not be a friendly gesture" toward Poland.
Topolanek, meanwhile, said he won't budge on his country's refusal to take prisoners from the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Obama administration wants to close Guantanamo by next January, but it's having trouble persuading allies to take detainees. Poland also has refused.
"We do not expect to yield to the pressure to accept prisoners," the Czech leader said earlier this week. "We have no facilities for it ... It will bring many problems."
Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg was even more blunt, telling reporters: "The United States caught them, so it should also take care of them."
Even so, Obama can expect an enthusiastic welcome to Prague, where officials expected 30,000 people to turn out.
The Czechs issued limited-edition gold medallions bearing Obama's likeness, and they sold out within hours. "European leaders want to be seen with Obama, preferably with his arms around their shoulders and a big smile, because he's so popular in Europe," said Dale. "Nobody's going to try and raise awkward subjects with him."
