WASHINGTON, March 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Robert Gates held talks with Czech President Vaclav Klaus on Friday to discuss missile defense and other issues.

    "They discussed a range of issues, including the possibility of cooperation on missile defense against potential developing threats from the Middle East," Cheney's office said in a statement.

    "The vice president commended the Czech Republic's continuing contributions to global security as a strong NATO ally and stressed the US commitment to Euro-Atlantic security, which would be further strengthened by missile defense cooperation," the statement said.

    The United States is seeking to deploy a missile defense radar in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland as part of a U.S.-built shield against ballistic missiles.

    Washington said the missile defense system is not targeted at Russia, but the plans nevertheless have drawn sharp criticism from Moscow. ¡¡