Czech PM cancels Bush meeting amid political storm

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek has cancelled a meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush next week to focus on political turmoil at home, a spokeswoman said on Friday.

Following a sweeping opposition victory in last weekend's regional election, rivals in Topolanek's ruling right-wing Civic Democrats are seeking to remove him as party leader and possibly as prime minister.

Topolanek was due to meet Bush on October 29 to discuss U.S. plans to build parts of its missile-defence shield in the central European country, and the global financial crisis in the context of the Czech EU presidency, which begins in January.

The government has agreed to host a missile defence radar, but still needs to push the plan through parliament, where it does not have majority control and a tight vote is expected. The radar may be discussed by parliament next week.

"The trip has been cancelled. We will try to negotiate a new date," the spokeswoman said. She said the political situation and the radar vote were behind the delay.

The cabinet won a no-confidence motion in parliament this week, but the rout in regional elections sparked calls for Topolanek's resignation as party chairman or his replacement at a congress in December.

Losing the party leadership could also trigger his resignation as prime minister, but Topolanek said in a newspaper interview on Friday this was not necessarily the case.

The Czech Republic's turn to take over the EU's six-month rotating presidency has raised concern among some EU politicians, who would prefer another one of the bloc's economic and political heavyweights to take over the helm from France amid the global financial crisis.

(Reporting by Jan Lopatka; Editing by Caroline Drees)