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Carolina (English) No 069B
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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
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
C A R O L I N A No 69, Friday, April 2, 1993.
FROM LAST WEEK EVENTS (March 24-31)
Slovakian prezident in Prague
Prezident of the Slovak Republic, Michal Kovac came on Tuesday,
March 30 for the first official visit to the Czech Republic. During his
two-day stay he visited prezident of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havelf
and interpreted him a good political will to solve the open questions
between both the states.
The prezidents talked mainly about the property separation treaty
which according to Kovac could have been signed already by premier
Vaclav Klaus at his visit to Bratislava. Kovac also said that it is
necessary to establish border crossings between the Czech and the Slovak
Republic due to checking of foreigners from third countries. Movement of
citizens of both the republics should not be restricted.
Both prezidents agreed on meeting themselves at least three times
a year.
Ministers of Finance, Ivan Kocarnik and Julius Toth signed
contracts about establishing border crossings and a cooperation at them.
The contracts specify particular customs crossings on roads and railways
and modify conditions for their common use.
Svoboda remains the chairman of the Communist Party of Bohemia and
Moravia
Jiri Svoboda "survived" another attempt of him being removed from
his post. This happened at an extraordinary session of the Central
Committee of the party. The aim of its initiators was to remove not only
Svoboda but also other reformists from the executive committee of the
party.
Members of the central committee agreed that the representatives of
the "For Socialism" platform violated the rules of the party, and
assigned the basic organizations to finish a membership in the party of
M. Stepan, J. Obzina and V. Papez, the protagonists of the pre-November
party leadership. The session decided that an extraordinary congress be
summoned which in June should deal with a change of title of the party,
and preparation of communal election.
Strike of subway drivers called off
Subway drivers wanted to go on strike on April 1 for higher wages.
On Wednesday morning the strike was called off.
The drivers demanded a wage increase from 8500 till 13.500 crowns
monthly without overtime hours, which is by 70 percent. Drivers in the
railway get on the average 6.700 crowns including the overtime hours,
average before-tax earnings in the Czech Republic were 4677 Kc in March.
Minister of the transport, Jan Strasky called the claims of the
subway drivers exaggerated. If the strike should come to effect,
according to Mayor of Prague, Milan Kondra, a crisis committee of the
capital would publish the names and addreesses of the organizors of the
strike.
According to daily Lidove Noviny, no quality paper would publish
a list like that. The editor-in-chief deputy in daily Mlada Fronta Dnes
said that such an approach towards the subway drivers is regarded
impertinent by a paper in a democratic society.
One day before the planned beginning of the strike the Transport
Company raised the subway drivers salaries by 33 percent (until now
5340).
New label of Czech products
Made in Czech Republic is recommended as information about the
country of the goods origin by the ministery of economy and trade. This
should apply to Czech producers even for goods exported to Slovakia.
More expensive flights between the republics
The tarifs for air transport between the Czech and the Slovak
Republic will be increased by 86 per cent. For example a flight ticket
from Prague to Bratislava will cost 1750-2900 crowns. Special advantages
are for men above 60 years and women above 55 years, for students and
pupils between 12 and 24 years of age.
Gipsies in the United Nations
According to daily Svobodne Slovo Czech Gipsies were accepted in
the Organization of United Nations. Led by chairman of Gipsy Civic
Initiative (ROI) E. Scuka, they demanded to be accepted in the United
Nations. They were interested mainly in the statute designed for
non-governmental organisations. As a representative of ROI said, this
means that they have not only a statute of observers but also
a possibility to present proposals and particularly to partake at the
United Nations activities. She also pointed out that Gipsies could thus
participate on international life though they are not a nation.
Community of Writers
This year's appropriation for the Community of Writers will be
diminished by more than a half as against last year, said Milan Jungman,
chairman of the community at the fifth general assembly of the
organization. This is the end of trips abroad and support of cultural
activities supported by the community of writers. By June 30 the
Community has to leave the house at Narodni Avenue because the new owner
gave them notice of cancellation.
Ecology, young journalists and black humour
Ecology is still in the centre of attention of citizens as well as
of the media. Therefore this was the theme of French and Czech students
who in the frame of their journalist workshops prepared from March 9-28
a common Frech-Czech magazine. This project financed by TEMPUS
foundation, took place for the first time at the Faculty of Social
Sciences in Prague.
Students worked in paires on gathering material, they made
interviews (for example ex-minister of the environment, ing. J.
Vavrousek), they set out to nothern Bohemia to back up data about
catastrophic living conditions of people and particularly children.
Another group searched around and in Temelin nuclear power plant,
two students explored the state of forests in Krkonose mountains, others
wrote about smog in Prague, about the endangerment of sources of
drinking water, about ecology acts and ecological initiatives. The work
of the students will be published not only in the faculty magazine but
also in some Czech and French magazines.
EXCHANGE RATE OF THE CZECH CROWN
buy sell
USA 1USD 28.13 29.53
BRD 1DEM 17.26 18.18
GB 1GBP 41.55 44.39
CAN 1CAD 22.31 23.91
FRA 1FRF 5.02 5.42
AUT 1ATS 2.46 2.58
TURIST RATE OF SLOVAK CROWN (Kc for 100 Sk)
buy sell
Agrobank 92.00 97.00
Czech Savings Bank 90.00 96.00
Bank of Investments 87.00 92.00
Commercial Bank 83.00 87.00
The rates as of March 31, 1993.
FROM SLOVAKIA
Knazko left the Movement for democratic Slovakia
At the weekend assembly of MDS Vladimir Meciar was re-elected the
chairman of the movement. 183 candidates voted for him. Milan Knazko
obtained 41 votes. New vice-chairmen are Olga Keltosova (minister of
labour and social affaires), Roman Zelenay and Lubomir Dolgos (minister
for the privatization).
Knazko accused Meciar of using a " method of wrong statements".
According to him, MDS is also deformed by director of Meciar's office,
Anna Nagyova, and manager of the office of the Slovak government, Ivan
Lexa, whom Knazko labelled as intriguers.
According to chairman in honour of the Slovak National party, J.
Prokes, Knazko could be a desired member of the party.
Property separation, state border-line and Slovakian prezident
Slovakian prezident Michal Kovac gave an interview for Czech daily
Lidove noviny.
As far as the property separation between the republics is
concerned, he said that the Slovak government is willing to sign it
anytime. Though the treaty had already been initialed by ministers of
finance, Czech side made certain objections. But the Slovak side never
said that she accepted Czech National Bank outstanding debts as against
the Slovak National Bank. The only trouble is what should be cut from
the debts (balance is 24.700.000.000 crowns).
According to prezident Kovac, the Czech Republic owes the Slovak
Republic apart from others also an appropriation of Slovak Development
Bank of Investments of 1.500.000.000 crowns, then one third of portions
from the former Federal Fund of National Property and from the basic
capital of Bank of Consolidation peaking at 1.800.000.000 Kcs.
Slovakia accepted an offer of paying this debt to the Czech
Republic by 2003. But allegedly they did not prepare any proposal of
such a treaty. Slovakia did not put any of Czech claims coming from the
property separation into doubt.
The claim of the Czech Republic that between both the republics
there should be the same border-line as between other European states
, is regarded as a step out of the so far signed treaties by Michal
Kovac. These treaties have until now ensured a free passage over the
border-line. They do not solve worries that citizens from third
countries could illegaly get to Slovakia from Hungary, Ukraiine or
Poland. This problem must be solved by both the sides.
SPORT
Slavia in the lead
21st round of Football League
Due to bad weather three matched were deterred because of an
unsuitable playing field: Presov-Bohemians, Vitkovice-Olomouc and
Slovan-Ceske Budejovice. Slavie (29p) got to the lead in the charter
having beaten recently leading Sparta (28p) 2:0. The third place belongs
to Dac Dunajska Streda (28p) after a victory over Trnava 1:0. The last
Dukla Praha lost again, this time to Inter Bratislava 1:2, and is
bravely heading to participate in the future Czech League.
Hockey League Final
Sparta Praha became the last master in the history of the Federal
Hockey League. In the final of the 50th year of this competition Sparta
beat Vitkovice 3:1 on matches. First Praha won at home 5:3, in the
second match they ensured their victory 2:1 after extra time. Both
reprisals in nothern-Moravian Ostrava (Vitkovice is Ostrava's outskirts)
finished with the same result - 5:4 for Sparta. Sparta was master in
1989-90 season.
In the last match for the third place Trencin beat Litvinov 4.3 and
ensured thus the League bronze for its team.
In the next year's only Czech Hockey League second-league teams
Jindrichuv Hradec and Hradec Kralove will participate.
Tennis Davis Cup
Tennists from the Czech and the Slovak Republic beat in the first round
of Davis Cup tennists from Denmark 4:1. In singles the first was Korda
and the second Novacek, only Damm lost. In doubles our pair Korda, Suk
won. In the second round our tennis players will play in Germany.
WEATHER
Winter still has not withdrawn. After a very warm period it got
significantly cold in the middle of last week. Temperatues drop nightly
to zero or even 5 below zero, in the mountains 10 below zero. During the
day they fluctuate around zero of several degrees below zero. Since
Saturday it has been snowing, there are 10-50 centimetres of new snow in
the mountains, in several place in Moravia snowdrifts caused a calamity.
There was snow in Prague, too, but it melted immediately.
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