Local reactions mixed in wake of Obama's Prague speech

In a speech that laid out his plans for countering climate change and speeding up nuclear disarmament, U.S. President Barack Obama told a crowd of thousands in Prague that Washington would proceed with constructing a contentious missile-defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland if Iran continued to pose a nuclear threat.

"As long as the threat from Iran persists, we intend to go forward with a missile-defense system that is cost-effective and proven," Obama said.

He noted that Iran has yet to build a nuclear weapon, and said that his administration will attempt to engage the country on the basis of "mutual interests and mutual respect" to encourage it to pursue peaceful nuclear energy with rigorous inspections. However, he stressed that Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile activity poses a genuine threat to the United States and its allies.

"If the Iranian threat is eliminated, we will have a stronger basis for security, and the driving force for missile-defense construction in Europe at this time will be removed," he said.

"He really inspired me. I am so glad I got to see him."
Shamish Mahmood

"I thought he was charismatic, but I was confused when everybody cheered when he was talking about the radar, because I thought people hated it."
Beth Ceryak

"I am disappointed in the speech and the rhetoric he is presenting. It's very similar to the Bush administration's rhetoric, telling people to be afraid. The radar is more a political tool than it is serving a useful military
function."
Ken Nash

"I think it was a very eloquent and passionate speech, and a historic experience."
Lucien Grant

"We wanted to shake hands with him and the first lady, so we are a little bit disappointed."
Alena Masadilá

"It will be even more interesting to see if his big plans come to fruition. In terms of nuclear weapons, it seems like a fairy tale."
Andrew Hamilton-Thomas

"I was very impressed by his speech, and I think it will add prestige to Prague."
Jan Moser

"We actually got to speak to him, because we were in the front line. I think the speech will go down as one of the most important ever given by a president."
Douglas Youngberg

"My daughter works for the U.S. Embassy here, so I decided to come and see it live. … I hope that he will try to change the world."
Jiřina Kapešová

Obama's April 5 speech at Prague Castle's Hradčanské náměstí was the only public address he gave during his first presidential European tour, and he attended the European Union-U.S. Summit later the same day.

Security remained airtight for the duration of the visit, with about 4,000 police deployed.

Police estimate the much-anticipated event drew 30,000 people, some of whom waited for hours to catch a glimpse of the president and first lady.

The masses wreaked havoc on the city's transportation system throughout the morning, as trams leading up to the castle were crammed to capacity. Once inside the heavily secured square, spectators waved tiny Czech and U.S. flags as they waited for the Obamas to appear, while vendors sold T-shirts emblazoned with the U.S. leader's face.

"We wanted to see him because he is sort of a second Kennedy for us," said Prague resident Jarka Posvarošová, who had jostled her way near the front of crowd.

Arriving by motorcade, Obama and wife Michelle were greeted outside the castle by First Lady Livia Klausová and a terse President Václav Klaus before they were ushered inside for a meeting.

An hour later, when he took to the podium, Obama addressed the need for international cooperation to protect the planet, in stark contrast to his Czech counterpart's vocal skepticism of climate change.

"Together, we must confront climate change by ending the world's dependence on fossil fuels, tapping the power of new sources of energy like the wind and sun, and calling upon all nations to do their part," he said, rousing cheers from the audience. "I pledge to you that in this global effort, the United States is now ready to lead."

Obama also stressed the importance of NATO's mission in Afghanistan, of which the Czech Republic is a part. In recent months, opposition politicians have threatened to end the Czech military presence abroad.

While he stressed that NATO was targeting "al-Qaida terrorists" in Afghanistan, he noted that terrorists are determined to obtain nuclear weapons and the risk of nuclear attack is on the rise, even though the Cold War-era threat of nuclear war has been abated.

After the speech, Obama met with EU leaders at the Prague Congress Centre as the first lady headed to Josefov to meet the Jewish community and tour the synagogues. Authorities say the visit, which ran over an hour, was originally scheduled to last 25 minutes.

"It didn't feel like your average courtesy visit from a diplomat," said Tomáš Kraus, executive director of the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic. "It's important to represent ours as a contemporary community. … She asked many questions about our lives, and, in the end, promised she'd return someday with her husband."

As they filed out of the square after Obama's speech, attendees expressed approval of the president's address. "I found the speech uplifting," said Prague resident Paul Allen. "He made a lot of concrete promises."

Elsewhere in the city, demonstrators were less enthusiastic about Obama's vision.

On Wenceslas Square, hundreds of peaceful protesters gathered in the afternoon amid heavy police security, including riot police and helicopter surveillance, to voice their opposition against the planned construction of a U.S. anti-missile radar base in Brdy, some 90 kilometers southwest of Prague.

Organized by the No Bases Initiative and the Humanist movement, families and a strong following of pensioners took up green, orange and blue balloons and cardboard banners reading, "We don't want American occupants. We want peace and friendship among nations."

Protester and Prague resident Svétlana Simonovská, originally from Macedonia, said she attended Obama's speech. "I was pretty disappointed. He sounded like [Obama's predecessor George W.] Bush," she said. "I'm against the radar. It destabilizes the country even more. With it, the Czech Republic is taking sides."

Others also drew parallels between the current U.S. president and Bush, whose administration initiated the plans to set up a radar base in the Czech Republic. "If we don't get rid of Bush's doctrine, then politics will be one-sided," said No Bases Initiative spokesman Jan Májíček.

As Obama wrapped up his brief visit, former President Václav Havel offered some advice to the younger politician during their half-hour meeting following the EU-U.S. summit.

Havel told the Czech News Agency that he warned Obama that people had enormous hopes pinned on him, and their enthusiasm could turn into disappointment if their hopes are not realized.

"People may believe that he has cheated them, gave them more hope than what was justified," Havel said.

- Curtis M. Wong, Martina Čermáková and Sarah Borufka contributed to this report.

Wency Leung can be reached at
wleung@praguepost.com