CzechFolks.com

On September 19th, 2008, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Czech Defense Minister Vlasta Parkanova signed in London the SOFA treaty based on the planned stationing of a U.S. radar base in the Czech Republic.

SOFA stands for Status of Forces Agreement and allows U.S. troops to be present on Czech soil. Under the treaty, the U.S. military and civilian personnel at the planned U.S. base will be within the jurisdiction of Czech courts with two exceptions. The exceptions refer to the criminal acts committed by Americans while on duty and their criminal acts against the security and property of the United States or any other U.S. personnel at the base.

The area, which will be used to build this radar station, will be still Czech Republic’s territory as well as all the property there at the base. All U.S. personnel will be equipped with a special ID card issued by the Czech Republic. All suppliers and the staff will pay taxes according to the Czech legislation and some U.S. firms and employees will still pay taxes in the United States.

Gates and Parkanova also signed the Declaration on Strategic Cooperation between the two countries. The main treaty on the radar base was signed by U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, and Czech Foreign Minister, Karel Schwarzenberg in July. The radar treaties are yet to be signed by the Czech parliament. Russia strongly oposes to the deployment of the system and 70 percent of Czech citizens are also against it.

The full text of the SOFA treaty will be released on Monday September 22nd.

***

V patek, 19. zari 2008, ministri obrany v USA Robert Gates a v Ceske republice Vlasta Parkanova podepsali v Londyne dohodu SOFA v souvislosti s planovanou americkou protiraketovou zakladnou.

SOFA je preklad pro podminky pobytu Americanu v Ceske republice. Na zaklade teto smlouvy americke vojsko bude moci prebyvat na ceskem uzemi. Americti vojaci a civiliste na planovane zakladne budou spadat pod ceskou jurisdikci s dvema vyjimkami. V pripadech kriminalnich cinu americanu ve vykonu sluzby a kriminalnich cinu zahrunujici bezpecnost a vlastnictvi Spojenych Statu a nebo americkych zamestnancu na zakladne budou souzeni pod americkymy zakony.

Oblast, ktera bude urcena na postaveni radarove zakladny a majetek na teto zakladne budou stale uzemim a vlastnictim ceske republiky.Vsichni americti zamestnanci budou mit specialni identifikacni karty vydany ceskou republikou. Vsichni zasobitele a zamestnanci budou platit dane na zaklade ceskych zakonu a nektere americke firmy a zamestnanci budou stale platit dane ve Spojenych Statech.

Po skončení neformální schůzky ministrů NATO, Gates a Parkanova podepsali také Deklaraci o strategické spolupráci.Vlastní dohodu o radarové základně podepsali ministři zahraničí Condoleezza Riceová a Karel Schwarzenberg už v červenci. Obe smlouvy musi byt jeste schvaleny ceskym parlamentem. Rusko je proti zakladne a 70 procent ceskych obcanu take nesouhlasi s vybudovanim zakladny.

Plný text smlouvy SOFA bude zveřejněn v pondělí 22. září.

Other links:

http://prague.usembassy.gov/united_states_and_czech_republic_sign_sofa_.html

http://czech.prague.usembassy.gov/spojene_staty_a_cesko_podepsaly_smlouvu_sofa.html