PRAGUE, Czech Republic: About 1,000 protesters in the Czech capital voiced their opposition Saturday to plans by Washington to place part of a missile defense system in the Czech Republic and demanded a nationwide referendum on the issue.

The U.S. is in talks with the Czech government to located a missile tracking radar system at a base in a military area near Prague. Washington also wants to place 10 interceptor missiles in Poland as part of a missile defense shield that U.S. officials say is needed to protect against a possible threat from Iran.

The Czech government has been receptive to the proposal, but most Czechs oppose it, according to polls. The government opposes holding a referendum, but says it will seek parliament's approval once it has settled on a deal with the U.S., probably next year.

"A majority of the people oppose the project ... yet the government continues the negotiations," said Jan Tamas, an organizer of the rally.

Waving banners that read, "Yankees, keep your radar at home," and "Could the planet's worries be solved by radars and rockets?" the protesters at Prague's Wenceslas Square repeatedly shouted.

They then marched through the city to the seat of the government.

The plan has also run into strong opposition from Russia, which says the shield could diminish the deterrent power of its own nuclear defenses and could trigger a new arms race.

One of the protesters, a 24-year-old student from Prague, Adela Jamsova, said the rally was not aimed against America, just the anti-missile system.

"I just don't agree with the system. It takes the world on a dangerous path of arms race," she said.