Bush says he will strive for visa abolition for Czechs

U.S. President George W. Bush said Tuesday he will work for the abolition of the visa duty for Czech citizens traveling to the United States after a meeting with Czech leaders at Prague Castle, the presidential seat.

However, the abolition is naturally connected with certain security requirements, said Bush.

Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said that the visa issue cannot be connected with the radar base. However, he said the U.S. visa requirements are unjust and must be lifted.

Topolanek said that he trusts Bush's effort to strive for visa- free relations with the Czech Republic.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus said that a solution to the visa issue would strengthen Czech-U.S. relations.

Unlike Czechs, U.S. citizens do not need tourist visas when traveling to the Czech Republic.

The visa regime is considered one of the few problems in the relations between the EU newcomers and the United States which has visa-free relations with 27 countries, including all old EU members except for Greece, as well as Slovenia among the newcomers.

Bush had assured Klaus at the summit in Latvia last year that he would strive for the abolition of visas for Czechs and other EU newcomers.

Apart from the visa issue, Bush also talked about the planned U. S. anti-missile defense base in the Czech Republic and in Poland with Klaus and Topolanek.

The operation of Czech troops in foreign missions, primarily in Afghanistan and Iraq, was also one of the topics that the countries' leaders talked about.