Peaceful protest in Prague before Bush arrival

PRAGUE: Hundreds of Czechs protested peacefully on Monday against U.S. plans for a missile defence shield, rallying near Prague''s historic castle hours before U.S. President George W. Bush was due to arrive in the capital.   

Protesters ranging from far-left Communist youths to feminist groups carried banners rejecting plans for a radar base near Prague as part of the shield, which Washington says will protect the U.S. and its allies against missiles that could be fired from countries such as Iran or North Korea.   

Dozens of riot police clad in full armour stood in nearby streets but stayed well away from the protest, which showed no signs of violence. 'Shame On Bush, No To Base'  read one banner, "The Radar Stinks of Death," said another.  This only supports the current aggressive foreign policy of the United States," said Miroslav Jilek, a 31-year-old entrepreneur who attended the rally. "I don''t see it as a defensive system, but as something which will allow the U.S. to attack anywhere it wishes in the world."

 Bush is due to arrive in Prague later on Monday on the first stop of European tour that will also include a summit in Germany of the Group of Eight leading industrialised nations. One of the most watched meetings during the G8 summit will be that between Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who vehemently opposes the planned missile defense shield, seeing it as a threat to Russia.   

The Czech centre-right government supports the missile shield project, although it wants it to become part of a NATO-wide anti-missile umbrella. The Czechs have opened negotiations with the United States on building the radar base, which would be staffed by about 200 U.S. military personnel, but the government has so far failed to convince the public that it is needed. Many Czechs resent the presence of any foreign troops in the country, remembering the Soviet occupation of 1968 to 1991.