The Prague Post
August 28th, 2008
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Radar system won't go to China

Sale's reversal follows U.S. pressure; reasons for past approval foggy

By Magnus Bennett
For The Prague Post
(May 27, 2004)


A great wall of silence is hanging over the government's decision to block the export of a high-tech radar system to China.
"We have to respect rules and common obligations."

Petr Necas,
shadow defense minister

Ministers decided that supplying the Chinese with six Vera passive surveillance radar systems in a multimillion-dollar deal is not in the foreign-policy interests of the Czech Republic.

The May 19 move followed high-level pressure from the United States, which expressed serious concerns to senior ministers about how China might use the system, particularly in the vicinity of Taiwan, where the United States has a military presence.

But officials are not willing to discuss why the system, which Czech defense representatives claim is one of the most advanced of its kind in the world, was cleared for export to China in the first place.

Last January it appeared to be a done deal. Czech arms-trading company Omnipol was granted licenses to export the system to China after a number of key ministries, including defense and industry and trade, cleared the deal. The Foreign Affairs Ministry, which initially resisted the move, later fell into line, apparently after intra-coalition governmental talks.

The exports were approved despite a question mark over whether the deal would break a European Union embargo on military sales to China.

The sale was killed off only after the United States made it clear -- reportedly via letters from President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell -- that it disapproved of the sale.

Petr Necas, shadow defense minister and deputy chairman of the Civic Democrats (ODS), described the China deal as an absolute scandal.

"We have to respect rules and common obligations," Necas said. "There has been a special embargo toward China and weapons systems, and it would damage our strategic relations with the United States."

Several theories have emerged as to why the sale was cleared last January. Necas speculated that senior government figures might have been influenced by some close business contacts involved in the deal. Or the planned sale might have simply been a pragmatic business transaction, set against a long history of Czech-Chinese relations broken off by the end of the communist era in Europe, according to Vladimira Dvorakova, head of political sciences at the University of Economics in Prague. She also argued that it was not clear whether as a nonaggressive radar system, Vera necessarily violated the EU embargo.

Rudolf Furst, an expert in Czech-Chinese relations at the Institute of International Relations in Prague, said he believes that a powerful cross-party pro-China lobby might have influenced events.

"This lobby includes old Czech diplomats who are still living in the era of the 1950s and 1960s," Furst said. "There is also a pro-China lobby in the main political parties, including some in the [Social Democrats] and ODS, and I believe they have a large influence, especially with the Ministry of Industry and Trade."

Even senior coalition partners are reluctant to comment. Miroslav Kalousek, chairman of the Christian Democrats, said he saw the deal as an "administrative procedure, so it is not possible to make a political comment."

Government ministries have also declined to explain why the Vera system export was permitted originally, merely stating that proper procedures were followed. The Foreign Affairs Ministry, which is formally writing to its industry and trade counterparts to request that the licenses be revoked, would only say, "Administrative proceedings are ongoing, and the ministry is doing everything to fulfill this week's government resolution."

Ironically, the saga may have helped Era, the company that produces the Vera, to secure its first international sale by propelling the product into the international arena. Although it has not been officially confirmed, U.S. defense officials are reportedly talking to a Czech arms trader about the possibility of sales to the United States. The U.S. Embassy in Prague said it could not comment on potential military acquisitions, but other sources said talks are ongoing, although it may be some weeks before any breakthrough is achieved.

China has yet to express any official view about the turn of events, although Necas said he believes Czech-Chinese relations will not suffer.

"I think that the Chinese must be fully aware of the official position within the European Union on exporting military systems to China," he said. "With a realistic view, they must be able to accept that we have to respect our common obligations."

Magnus Bennett can be reached at news@praguepost.com




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