PRAGUE (AFP) -- Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg criticized Russian opposition to the planned U.S. missile shield in a television interview Sunday, accusing Moscow of trying to recoup Soviet-era influence.

Discussing Russia's opposition to U.S. plans to extend its anti-missile shield into Europe, he told Czech public television: ""It is all part of a political game about influence in Europe.
""Russia is attempting to attain what it had under the Soviet Union, having the joint possibility of deciding the fate of Europe,"" he added.
Moscow has repeatedly refused to accept U.S. assurances over a tracking radar station it wants to site in the Czech Republic and 10 interceptor missiles in neighboring Poland.
Schwarzenberg argued that Japan, a direct neighbor of Russia, had constructed exactly the same type of missile defense system envisaged for the Czech Republic and Poland without it bothering Moscow.
Prague would probably not sign a series of agreements with the U.S. over hosting the radar before NATO's April summit in Bucharest, he added. ""I do not exclude it, but expect it to be discussed further,"" he said.
The Czech foreign minister said Prague could get the best possible deal from the U.S. before a possible change of administration following the presidential election at end of year.
The outgoing U.S. administration wanted to get an agreement before it left office, he explained.
In reaction last week to the Pentagon saying it hopes the treaty with Prague would be ready in the weeks ahead, Czech Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zuzana Opletalova told the Czech news agency CTK that ""We will complete the negotiations only at the moment we will reach a good agreement. We have set no final date. The United States has not yet fulfilled all our security, economic and foreign political demands.""
According to the information from the French news agency AFP, Pentagon spokesman Goeff Morell said that the negotiations with Prague continue very, very quickly. The United States is coming close to an agreement with the Czech Republic and that it hopes it will be able to make an announcement in the weeks ahead, AFP quoted Morell as saying.
Czech Defense Ministry spokesman Andrej Cirtek told the CTK that the Czech Republic is negotiating about two treaties - one under the supervision of the Defense Ministry and the other one under the supervision of the Foreign Ministry.
""Negotiations about both treaties are progressing, but it can by no means be said when they will be completed. The Czech republic has set itself no deadline. The goal is to negotiate the most advantageous treaties,"" Cirtek said.