Russia-US Ties

"Russia is not the enemy," President George W. Bush said, speaking at the medieval Prague Castle, where he met with Czech leaders. "The Cold War is over. It ended."

Bush met with Czech President Vaclav Klaus and Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek during a European tour that will also see him sharing a table with Russian premier Vladimir Putin at the G8 summit on Wednesday.

The US president said he planned to assure Putin that the proposed extension of the anti-missile umbrella into the Czech Republic and Poland was a purely defensive measure, "aimed not at Russia but at true threats."

Invitation for cooperation

Addressing the joint press conference in Prague, Bush even invited skeptical Russian military brass to inspect the system for themselves.

"My message will be, Vladimir -- I call him Vladimir -- you shouldn't fear a missile defense system. As a matter of fact, why don't you cooperate with us on a missile defense system?" Bush said.

"Why not send your generals over to see how such a system would work. Send your scientists; let us have the ability to discuss this issue in an open forum," he said.

The increasingly tense rift between Washington and Moscow over the missile shield risks souring this year's G8 talks. Putin has threatened to aim missiles at Europe if the plans go ahead.

Escalation in rhetoric

"There has been some escalation in the rhetoric. We think that that is not helpful," Stephen Hadley, US national security adviser, told reporters.

Bush is due to visit Poland on Friday after the gathering of leaders from the world's leading economies -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the US.

His schedule in Prague included talks with Klaus, Topolanek and opposition leader Jiri Paroubek that are expected to focus on the missile-shield proposal.

Opponents demand referendum

Russia has refused to accept repeated US assurances that the shield is aimed at defending against an attack from the likes of Iran, which denies suspicions by the West that it is striving to create a nuclear arsenal.

While Klaus and Topolanek have backed the plan as an opportunity for the Czech Republic, a former Soviet satellite state, to demonstrate its NATO credentials, Paroubek has opposed it and demanded a referendum.

Hundreds of Czechs had gathered in Prague on Monday night to protest against the U.S. plans for a missile defence shield, carrying banners that read, "Shame On Bush, No To Base," and, "The Radar Stinks of Death."

At NATO headquarters in Brussels, a spokesman for the trans-Atlantic alliance, James Appathurai, said Monday: "As far as I am aware, Russia is the only country now speculating about targeting Europe with missiles."

Technology boost for Prague?

Meanwhile, Topolanek said his country should benefit from US technology if part of an American anti-missile defense system is set up on Czech soil.

"The United States is the world's innovation leader. It is dominant in science. I exaggerate perhaps, but this cooperation in technology, in science, in innovation, is in some way our condition for the construction of the anti-missile defense system on our territory," Topolanek said during the joint news conference with Bush.

"We see this as very important not only for anti-missile defense in itself but also for relations between the Czech Republic and the United States," Topolanek added.