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Carolina (English) No 066
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STUDENTS' E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECH REPUBLIC
School of Social Sciences of Charles University
Smetanovo nabr. 6
110 01 Prague 1
Czech Republic
E-mail address: carolina@n.fsv.cuni.cs
Fax: (+422) 231 7391
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C A R O L I N A No 66, Saturday, March 13, 1993.
FROM LAST WEEK'S EVENTS ( March 3-10,1993)
Minister of Foreign Affaires, Josef Zieleniec in Brussels
On Monday, March 8 a working meeting of the countries of the
"Visegrad quartet" took place. Miniters of Foreign Affaires talked of
the cooperation of the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia with
the European Community. Slovakia was suprisingly represented by Milan
Knazko whose participation had been rejected last week by premier
Meciar. The decision was changed by the Slovakian government in
premier's absence, but allegedly after a phone consultation.
Slovakian ambassador at the Prague Castle
The first Slovakian ambassador in the Czech Republic, Ivan Mjartan
entered his office on Tuesday, March 9. In an interview with Czech
president V. Havel Mjartan got acquianted with the Czech notions on the
borderline system which he intends to tell to Slovakian vice-premier.
On the same day the first Czech ambassador in Slovakia, Filip
Sedivy handed his credentials to Slovakian prezident M. Kovac. At the
same time he informed him of the results of Sunday's session of the
Czech government considering the regime on the Czech-Slovak frontier.
Then he left for Prague again because Bratislava had not prepared his
office yet.
"Jiri Svoboda has fullfiled his historic role in the party"
said member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of
Bohemia and Moravia, V. Papez. At its Saturday's session the central
committee turned down the proposal of the chairman of the party, Jiri
Svoboda to change the name of the party. This will be a topic for
a late-April internal discussion. Former deputy of the Federal Assembly,
and Svoboda's close colleague, M. Ransdorf suggested that a vote of
no-confidence be passed on the party's chairman. Even his removal was
claimed. Jiri Svoboda himself considers the possibility of stepping
down. His resignation is expected on Wednesday, March 10.
Members of the Central Committee abolished the statute of the
opinion-stream platform called For Socialism (a group around the last
pre-November secretary of the city board of Communist Party of
Czechoslovakia in Prague - M Stepan), but its followers including V.
Papez still remain members of Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia in
spite of J. Svoboda's suggestion.
Czech currency improves
The Czech crown improves as against the clearing ECU by two per
cent as of March 8. This is the decision of Bank Council of the Czech
National Bank. The Slovak crown had already devaluated as against ECU by
five per cent allowed by the contract between the republics.
The clearing ECU is a special unit used only for mutual payments
between the enterprising subjects of Bohemia and Slovakia. A two per
cent revaluation means that the Czech export will become more expensive
and contrarywise the Slovak export will be cheaper. This measure should
help Slovakia to handle the rapid growth of the passive balance in the
trade with the Czech Republic which since the currency separation has
reached one third of the agreed limit of the marginal credit. This
credit is 130.000.000 ECU.
In connection with that Minister of Finance of the Czech Republic,
Ivan Kocarnik warned Czech enterpreuners before an uncertain export to
the Slovakian market.
Killing Flu
Flu raging in Bohemia and Moravia since the end of January is
a probable cause of three deaths in Nothern Moravia. The dead were
a four-month baby, an eighteen-month boy and a 56 years old man after
heart-attack. In their corpses viruses of the B type were found. The
epidemy stricks Moravia the most, only in its nothern regions there are
now 78.000 registered cases. In the whole republic there were 185 276
cases recorded on March 5.(from each 100.000 inhabitants 1950 are ill.)
According to the chief hygienist of the Czech Republic, doc. Jaroslav
Kriz the flu onset should be over by the end of this month.
CULTURE
British filmmakers in rennaissance chairs
The representative rooms of Valdstejn's palace in Prague's Lesser
Town belong among the most precious cultural monuments. Last week they
were filled with British filmmakers who were working on the final parts
of a TV series about Indiana Jones. Since Monday the rennaissance chairs
had been occupied by technicians in filthy dungarees, about 300 people
were hanging about the historical halls, heavy mettal ladders were
leaning right against the wall paintings, butts were to be found
everywhere. Moreover the contract of an economic administration of the
Ministry of Culture and ETIC firm about the loan of the rooms from
Tuesday 2 till Thursday, March 4 was signed for a ridiculous amount of
138.000 crowns.
Deputy of the Minister of Culture, Jan Knezinek prohibited the
movement of people in these rooms. Yet his order was not respected.
OUR INTERVIEW
In less than a year the first private television in the Czech
Republic will launch broadcasting. The fact that the licence was given
to CET 21 company caused a sharp polemics between the Council for Radio
and TV broadcasting (which decides about the licence) and other
participants to the public competition, and representatives of the
strongest Czech party, ODS. CET 21 representatives do not react to
attacks, therefore Vladimir Zelezny, the probable program director of
the company, talked mainly of the prepared program schedule.
You are obliged to start broadcasting within 365 days. Is that not too
short a time?
It is a murderous deadline. We are bound by strict condititions
imposed by the Council for TV and Radio Broadcasting under a big
political pressure. No other private or public television in the world
has such conditions as we do.
What is your notion of the future program schedule?
First of all we cannot be an exclusive TV because we have to earn
our living and the only way to achieve that is commercials.
Appropriations and licensee fees will be denied to us contrarywise to
a public TV. Therefore in four fifths we will be a common TV oriented to
amusement, relaxation, thrill and so on. We want to shun stupidness and
a tabloid-like view, of course. Most of the programes will be bought.
What about news service?
We will make approximately one fifth of the programes ourselves,
and main of all we will produce a quality news service. We emphasize an
objectivity which we want to achieve mainly by a strict separation of
commenting and personal attitudes. The documentary programs will aim at
pathological aspects of the society as crime, homosexuality, xehophobia.
We also plan an everyday several minutes lasting program "Just
today" where some famous persons should talk about the particular day
from a historical point of view. We would also like to establish
a public-access TV in the Czech Republic, this means that every person
who wants to communicate something to the others should be given an
opportunity. For example, we will install boxes in Prague where having
casted a coin you can say what you like for a certain time and the
record can and does not have to be telecasted.
In what way do you want to differ from the today's Czech TV?
First of all we want to remove the clumsiness which is sometimes
apparent with the Czech TV. We will make use of seeming trifles like
a catchy graphic design, interesting logo...
We will be about seven times smaller that the Czech TV which
demands more intenzive work. Quality employees will be given a good pay,
of course. We must be always present at the market and only broadcasting
is not enough.We have to bring attention to ourselves all the time and
thus arise the viewers'interest on which we existencially depend. Our
financial situation in the first three years will reflect the necessity
to redeem debts which are necessary for the start of broadcasting. Yet
I hope that we will be a dignified competitor to the public TV from the
very beginning.
Thank you for the interview.
Jakub Camrda
EXCHANGE RATE OF CZECH CROWN
buy sell
GB 1GBP 40.66 43.80
BRD 1DEM 17.10 18.02
USA 1USD 28.49 29.89
CAN 1CAD 22.59 24.15
FRA 1FRF 5.02 5.34
AUT 1ATS 2.44 2.56
The rates as of March 9, 1993.
SPORT
Hockey League
Teams who after the basic part finished on the first four places
succeeded in the quarter-final of the federal hockey league. In a duel
of two Slovakian teams Trencin easily set aside Kosice 3:0 at matches
(individual contests 5:1, 4:2, 4:2). Litvinov handled Pardubice also in
three matches whose course was much more balanced than had been expected
from a first and a for a long time last team (3:2, 6:3, 4:0).
Prague's Sparta decided of its progress in the semi-finale as last
as in the fourth match with Southern Moravian Zlin (5:0, 5:2, 2:3,
4:2). The fourth semi-finalist is still not clear because the duel
between Vitkovice and Kladno is balanced after the fourth contest 2:2
(2:1, 5:4, 2:4, 0:3).
Sparta did not hit the ball
Two other matches had to be deterred due to a bad playing field in
the 18th round of the football league. Now leading Sparta Praha (24
points) will play in an extra time with Ceske Budejovice on April 23,
and Dukla Praha with Banik Ostrava on April 22. In the contest for the
second place Slavia Praha (23 points) beat DAC Dunajska Streda
(23points) 1:0, Slavia is now thanks to a better score the second. The
fourth Slovan Bratislava (22 points) did not overcome Presov (1:1). The
last remains Trnava (9 p.) who lost to Olomouc 3:0.
World figure-skating after 31 years back in Prague
After 31 years Prague again fates the World Mastery in
Figure-skating. The ceremony was opened on Tuesday at 7 pm. Since Sunday
the participants had been going through the qualification for the main
competition. The world mastery takes place for the fourth time on the
territory of Czech lands. The first time its was in 1908 in Opava, than
31 years later in Prague and here again 1962. Slovakia faced the world
mastery in 1973 in Bratislava.
The world mastery arrangement was assigned to Czechoslovak
figure-skating association and therefore the audience will see a common
team of the Czech and the Slovak Republic.
WEATHER
March started with thaw in lowlands and under-average temperatures.
Daily they climb up to maximum 5 degrees above zero, nightly drop 5 to
10 below zero. Mountain regions provide a sufficient layer of snow and
nice sunny weather for skiers.
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