Nato chief demands Czechs upgrade military

Replacing the MIG-21s costs billions

Nato Secretary-General George Robertson has told the Czechs they need to do more to modernise their armed forces.

Speaking after meeting President Vaclav Havel in Prague, Mr Robertson praised the progress made by the authorities, but added that much remained to be done.

Havel wants openness

The Czech Republic is one of three former Warsaw Pact countries which joined their former adversaries in 1999, in Nato's first wave of expansion eastwards.

The BBC Prague correspondent says the three new members - which also include Hungary and Poland - face huge problems financing the cost of modernising their armed forces to fulfil their membership requirements.

Politicians divided

And, while there is general agreement on the overall targets, in Prague there is ongoing controversy over the government's plans to buy a fleet of brand new fighter jets to replace the ageing MIG-21s inherited from the Soviet times.

The proposed deal - worth about $2.5bn - has split the Czech political scene amid arguments that the money could be better spent elsewhere.

Mr Robertson is said to be critical of the proposal, and is expected to ask Prime Minister Milos Zeman to drop the plan, during their meeting on Thursday.

Instead, Mr Robertson is likely to recommend that Czechs buy used Western aircraft and spend more money on human resources, such as training their military personnel.

He would help us most by being open with us

Vaclav Havel

However, our correspondent says the project is a matter of national pride for many Czechs and Mr Zeman has consistently supported it.

Mr Havel, who received the Secretary-General in hospital where he's been recovering from bronchitis, urged Mr Robertson to "expose the controversial issues".