Two weeks of US military will guard the airspace of the Czech Republic

To ensure the safety of the NATO summit, 250 American troops and 15 US Air Force aircraft will be involved. The Americans will guard the Czech sky from November 15 to 30, 2002. The corresponding bill adopted the Czech Senate. And in order for the document to enter into force, home from the Canary Islands, interrupting a healing vacation, President of the country Vaclav Gavel flew out.

On Thursday, he must sign a special law on the participation of US Air Force military personnel in ensuring the security of the Prague NATO Summit on November 21-22 this year. The CCC agency reports that Gavel will return to Prague in the coming hours.

Two weeks ago, the president of the Czech Republic flew to the Canary Islands, RIA Novosti reports. Doctors recommended the head of state a trip to the sea to improve the work of the lungs. 66-year-old Vaclav Gavel in October 2002 suffered Qatar of the upper respiratory tract.

Earlier, the Czech Republic officially turned to the United States with a request to ensure the protection of airspace during the NATO summit, since it independently cannot guarantee the safety of its own airspace.

The US Air Force aircraft involved in the Czech Airspace Operations will go on a mission from the American air base located in neighboring Germany.

It is assumed that the airspace of the Czech Republic during the meeting of the leaders of NATO member countries will control Boeing, equipped with an early warning system AWACS . Other NATO aircraft will monitor the situation from the territory of neighboring states.

The meeting of the leaders of the member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance will be held in Prague on November 21-22. It is expected that these days 46 presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers and defense will come to the capital of the Czech Republic.

In addition to 19 member states of the North Atlantic Alliance, the meeting will be presented at the Candidate states to join NATO, as well as the countries participating in the NATO Partnership program in the name of peace.

The first such “protected” meeting was the December EU summit in the Lacquen castle on the outskirts of Brussels. However, then AWACS aircraft were not involved.