Prague - The Czech parliament's lower house Wednesday postponed an initial vote on Czech-US treaties that allow the United States to place a missile defence facility on Czech soil.

The house adjourned a debate on the US project and may return to the issue on Thursday.

Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek lacks a majority for the US plans in the closely divided 200-seat chamber.

One of the most pro-US leaders in the former Eastern Bloc, Topolanek cancelled a White House visit with US President George W Bush on Wednesday in order to back the radar before lawmakers.

The radar's future appears to be in hands of several independents and lawmakers for Toplanek's junior governing partners, the Greens.

Two Greens reject the US plans outright, while one prefers to make a final decision after a new US president takes office.

Topolanek asked lawmakers to pass the treaties in the first vote and allow delaying the second and final vote until after a new US president is sworn to office on January 
20.

"I personally do not think that a stance of either of the candidates ... would be significantly different from the stance held by the current administration," he told the chamber.

The United States plans to build a tracking radar in the Czech Republic as part of a missile shield, which it says is being developed against potential long-range missiles from so-called rogue states such as Iran.

Topolanek views the radar as a guard against Russia. In a debate Wednesday, he warned opponents that rejecting the US base would expose the Czech Republic to Moscow's supremacy.

"Reject the radar and return the Czech Republic 20 years back," he said. "Without a strong transatlantic bond we can't survive as a free democratic state."

The leftist opposition slammed Topolanek's government for sidestepping the European Union and for agreeing to host the base for a system that may not work.

The opponents also doubted that a new US administration would keep funding the project amid the global financial turmoil.

The lower house took up the accords, a key foreign policy project of Topolanek's center-right government, at a time when the premier is weakened by significant losses in regional and Senate elections.

Analysts said that the unpopular US plans for building the base in a military zone one hour's drive south-west of Prague were among the issues behind the defeat.

Topolanek's Civic Democrats lost a comfortable absolute majority of 41 seats in the 81-member Senate but his three-party government has enough votes to approve the radar in the new upper house.

The Senate is to take up the treaties in December, the CT24 news channel reported.

Washington and Prague sealed the main diplomatic missile defence deal on July 8. It is complemented by a Status of Forces Agreement, signed on September 19, which defines rules for deployment of US troops at the planned base.

The United States plans to accompany the radar with 10 interceptor missiles in Poland. Russia has strongly objected to the US plans to place military installations in the former Soviet satellites, now members of the EU and NATO. (dpa)