Final Word from Thursday, February 28, 2008
Mirek Topolánek saddled up next to George Bush yesterday in the Oval Office and announced that the radar treaty is only a few days away. The meeting was clearly meant to increase the chance that the deal will be struck before Bush rides off into the sunset. Bush kept to the usual script and used the occasion to reiterate that missile defense in Central Europe is aimed against extremists who want to harm the freedom-lovers of the world and isn't targeted against Russia. Before the meeting, though, Topolánek veered from the script and indicated to LN that one of the main reasons for signing the treaty is the desire to deprive Russia of its sphere of influence in Central Europe. Russia has never given up this sphere of influence, he said. If this is truly what Topolánek believes, it should no doubt be a subject of discussion at the Nato summit in Bucharest and during the CR's rotating EU presidency.[Czech Republic Lidové noviny Romania European Union]
Glossary of difficult words
Under eastern eyes - an allusion to the Joseph Conrad espionage novel "Under Western Eyes";
to saddle up next to - to become politically friendly with someone;
to ride off into the sunset - to exit the picture, the way cowboys often do at the end of westerns;
to keep to the script - to use the same arguments outlined before to defend a position;
to veer from the script - to use new arguments not originally included in the script;
Nato summit - early April;
EU presidency - first half of 2009.