Via Prague

Ah, those who hope to see a United States of Europe (not me, particularly) are surely not enjoying watching while the poor Lisbon Treaty gets batted and kicked around like a two-dollar trick. The treaty, for the uninitiated, is the latest attempt by the EU member states to approve a Constitution. A few years ago, the Constitution failed to pass muster after the French and Danish voted it down. This Lisbon Treaty recently got the thumbs-down from the Irish and is coming up for a vote in the Czech Parliament very soon. Well, guess what? Read on. Prime Minister MIrek Topolanek says, gee, he can't see his party, ODS, supporting the treaty without getting support from the rival parties, CSSD, Greens and Communists' support of the US radar base. Ah, I love this game!

Czech PM's party may trade Lisbon treaty for US base
By ČTK / Published 10 July 2008
ČTKTo take effect, the treaty must be ratified by Czech parliament and signed by the president.E-mail

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Prague, July 9 (CTK) - Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek (Civic Democrats, ODS) said Wednesday he cannot imagine ODS lawmakers supporting the Lisbon treaty unless parliament passes the Czech-US treaty on stationing a US radar base on Czech soil.

"It is hypothetical. In view of that the ODS group (of deputies) has 81 members and I think that I know opinions of most of them, it is very difficult for me to imagine that the deputies, or ODS senators, would vote for the Lisbon treaty if the ratification of the treaty with the United States failed," Toplánek said on Radio Česko.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Czech counterpart, Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, signed the main treaty on stationing the radar base on Czech soil in Prague on Tuesday.

Topolanek said "it is not entirely acceptable to connect it like this. But for the deputies who can make a free choice, it can be a certain aspect that will play a role in the decision-making."

To take effect, the treaty must be ratified by Czech parliament and signed by the president.

Support for it particularly in the lower house is, however, uncertain. It is rejected by the opposition and also by some government Green Party deputies.

The Lisbon treaty, which Topolanek signed for the Czech Republic, is opposed by some deputies from his party, the ODS. It was on their initiative that the Senate sent the treaty to the Constitutional Court to check whether it is in harmony with the Czech Constitution.

This story is from the Czech News Agency (ČTK).