July 8 (Bloomberg) -- The Czech government today signed an agreement with the U.S. to host part of a missile-defense shield, defying opposition from Russia and most Czechs.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek before the signing ceremony, at which the Czech government committed itself to hosting a U.S. radar site.

``It's truly a landmark agreement,'' Rice said, adding that it was an accord for ``friends and allies who face a common threat'' and who ``wish to address it by the application of the best technologies we can bring to bear.''

The signing took place amid opposition from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who denounced the missile shield as stoking weapons proliferation in May after succeeding Vladimir Putin.

Russia will probably ignore today's signing and focus on policy areas such as the Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia where it can still influence the outcome, Alexander Rahr, a Russia expert at the German Council of Foreign Relations in Berlin, said in an interview.

``With the Czech radar, there's almost nothing Russia can do to prevent it,'' Rahr said.

The Czech government is also struggling to win over domestic public opinion. Polls show fewer than one in four Czechs back the shield. The ``No Bases'' campaign group plans to protest today's signing with a demonstration at the capital's Wenceslas Square, the group's Web site says.

Rogue Nations

President George W. Bush says the system is needed to defend against a missile attack by ``rogue'' nations such as Iran. North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders meeting in Bucharest in April backed the project, comprising the radar site in the Czech Republic and 10 ``interceptor'' missiles that the U.S. plans to base in Poland.

The U.S. is still holding talks with Poland over siting the missile interceptors. Rice failed to reach an agreement in a meeting yesterday with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters in Washington.

``That doesn't mean we're not going to keep working'' on an accord, McCormack said.

Topolanek said the Polish delay wouldn't alter his country's decision to take part in missile defense.

`Complications'

``If there are complications between the U.S. and the Polish side, it doesn't mean we have not been successful,'' Topolanek said. ``We have been very successful.''

Rice said missile defense was not just to protect the U.S.

``This missile defense agreement is significant not just for the security of the United States and the Czech Republic but for the security of NATO and ultimately for the security of the international community as a whole because we do face important threats,'' she said.

The Czech government may face difficulties getting parliamentary approval to host the radar site. The government only controls 100 seats in the 200-seat parliament, and the Green Party, a junior coalition partner, has indicated it may not back the plans.

Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra said he was confident that Russian opposition can be quelled, and that lawmakers will be persuaded over the benefits of the radar site when the accord is put to parliament later this year.

``At the end of the day there will be support,'' he said in an interview yesterday.

Rahr said Russia is unlikely to follow its protests with actions.

``Russia doesn't have the same political will to establish radar in Cuba for example -- those times are gone.''

To contact the reporters on this story: Alan Crawford in Prague at acrawford6@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 8, 2008 09:25 EDT