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Carolina (English) No 107
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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.cz
Fax: (+422) 24810987
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C A R O L I N A No 107, Friday, February 25, 1994.
EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (February 16-23)
Baudys Initiative to End War in Bosnia Meets with Criticism
Defense Minister Antonin Baudys launched a private initiative
February 19 to end the Bosnian conflict, and brought a storm of
criticism upon himself for what many saw as overstepping his bounds.
Baudys proposed that an "Executive Council of Good Will," acting
under a mandate of the United Nations, take over the main role in
attempting to solve the two-year old civil war.
The council would be comprised of states "connected with the
religious ethics which are in the region through their religious and
cultural values," Baudys said, naming Russia, Greece, Turkey, Pakistan,
France, and Italy as examples.
Baudys sent his proposal to the General Secretary of the United
Nations, NATO, and the U.S. and Russian presidents.
Baudys consulted neither the government nor parliament before
launching his proposal, a move that earned wide criticism. Foreign
Affairs Minister Josef Zieleniec said Baudys had damaged the
international image of the Czech Republic and exceeded his rights as
defense minister.
Most political parties also condemned the move. The executive
committee of the Civic Democratic Party recommended that Prime Minister
Vaclav Klaus take strong action against Baudys, up to removing him from
his post.
Jiri Holub, secretary of the Liberal Social Union, said at a press
conference Wednesday that Baudys's action showed signs of a putsch. "The
defence minister was insubordinate," Holub said. "The Prime Minister
should act strongly. The only solution is to recall him."
Holub said that because international press conferences must be
planned several days in advance, Baudys's move was clearly
pre-meditated.
The government discussed the Baudys initiative for two hours
Wednesday. Despite that and strong criticism in the media, Baudys
remains in his post.
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrej Kozyrev in Prague
Andrej Kozyrev, Russian foreign affairs minister, came to Prague
during his visit to the Visegrad Four countries February 18.
Kozyrev negotiated with Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Josef
Zieleniec on European security structures and the situation in the
former Yugoslavia.
Kozyrev said his country doesn't consider NATO the only security
force in Europe.
In the afternoon, Kozyrev met President Vaclav Havel at his
residence in northern Bohemia. Havel is resting after a visit to
Thailand, where he broke a rib after slipping in a bathtub.
On Sunday, Kozyrev met Czech Premier Vaclav Klaus. Kozyrev postponed
a planned visit to Slovakia, where the government is going through
a political crisis.
Karel Maly Takes Over Sceptre of Charles University Chancellor
Professor Karel Maly, a doctor of law, was inaugurated as chancellor
of the Charles University February 17 in the Great Hall of Carolinum.
The former vice-chancellor for science and research takes the place of
Professor Radim Palous
Restitution of Jewish Property Bill Lingers
Chamber of Deputies failed to pass a law concerning restitution of
Jewish property on February 18.
Due to a number of bills brought by the ruling Civic Democratic
Party and opposition members, representatives of other coalition parties
and the opposition Liberal National Socialist Party walked out of
parliament before offering a final version of the law. The law concerned
restitution of 200 buildings out of 1,000 seized by the Jewish
communities.
The secretary of the Federation of Jewish Communities, Tomas Kraus,
claimed that after the humiliating negotiations in Parliament, the
communities will lodge a claim to get back all seized property.
Czech President Vaclav Havel branded the course of the restitution
of Jewish property as undignified and abusive.
Survey Results Show Czech Opinions
Results of the February Center for Empirical Research surveys on
a number of subjects show that Czechs like NATO, fear a communist coup,
and feel the economy will improve. The study questioned 1,623 people.
- Relation to NATO
Fifty-six percent of those asked said the Czech Republic should
enter NATO, with 20 percent answering "definitely yes". Forty-four
percent oppose the move, with 15 percent saying "definitely no."
NATO should give grants to the Visegrad countries -- Poland, the
Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary -- and later enable them to enter
NATO, said 43 percent. Almost all of those questioned think NATO should
somehow grant security to those countries.
Russia is seen as the biggest military danger by 57 percent of the
respondents, 20 percent, mostly the elderly, fear Germany, 13 percent
fear the Ukraine, 9 percent fear the former Yugoslavia, and 5 percent
view Slovakia as the threat to peace..
- What Czechs Fear
Organized crime, followed by fear of a possible communist or
authoritarian coup in Russia, the Gypsy minority, flow of the refugees
and economic subjugation of the Czech Republic by Germany are viewed as
the leading dangers to the country. Respondents were offered a list of
11 items to choose from, including revived Communist mafias and
supremacy of foreign capital.
- Future of the Economy and Standard of Living
Sixty-eight percent of those questioned felt the worst of economic
dislocation is over, and that the economy will improve from now on.
Those taking the optimistic view tended to be female, younger and
supporters of the coalition parties. Those 30- to 40-years-old were the
most optimistic.
Pessimists tend to be oriented to the left.
Three percent expect rapid growth in the standard of living in the
next year, with 20 percent expecting it in the next five years.
- Assessment of Institutions, Popularity of Politicians
Sixty-seven percent of those questioned think government worked fine
in the last year. Thirty-eight percent had that view of Parliament.
President Vaclav Havel won the confidence of 70 percent of the
population, (a gain of 1 percentage point from January), 71 percent
expressed faith in Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, (a gain of 4 percentage
points), and 44 percent expressed confidence in Milan Uhde, speaker of
Parliament.
The most popular Czech politician is still Vladimir Dlouhy, minister
of industry and trade, with 89 percent, followed by Klaus, Josef
Zeleniec, minister of foreign affairs, at 69 percent, and Jiri
Dienstbier, former minister of foreign affairs, with 68 percent.
- Election Preferences
If elections were held today, 64 percent of the population would
vote, 13 percent would not and 23 percent are undecided.
The ruling Civic Democratic Party would get 31.3 percent of the
votes, it's main partner Civic Democratic Alliance would get 14.9
percent, Czechoslovak Social Democracy would get 13.9 percent, the Left
Bloc 10.9 percent, Christian Democratic Union 5.4 percent and the
Republicans 3.7 percent. Of parties not in the % etc. From the
non-parliamential parties, the Free Democrats, formerly Civic Movement,
would get 2.2 percent of the votes, and Greenpeace 3.2 percent.
Second choices are Civic Democratic Party, 25.3 percent, Civic
Democratic Alliance, 23.8 percent, Czechoslovak Social Democracy 14.4
percent.
FROM SLOVAKIA
Changes in Leadership of Slovak National Party
An extra assembly of the Slovak National Party (SNS), held during
the weekend in Zilina, froze out Ludovit Cernak, until now chairman of
the party.
At the end of last year he and five other SNS deputies disagreed
with the policies of Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar and his Movement for
a Democratic Slovakia, SNS's senior coalition partner.
The six created the National Democratic Club of SNS in Parliament,
dropping SNS from 14 to 8 deputies and leaving the coalition and the
opposition tied in Parliament with 75 members each.
When Cermak was unable to make a statement about the activity of SNS
at the party assembly, he and about 50 other delegates who support him
left the meeting hall. They are expected to found a new party.
Jan Slota, 31-year-old mayor of Zilina and the deputy of the
National Council of the Slovak Republic, became the new SNS chairman.
Petition Drive Begins, Could Lead to Elections
The Slovak Parliament rejected February 17 a proposal from
opposition deputies who wanted to call Parliamentary elections for this
November.
A day earlier, Parliament had also failed to approve a government
plan for early elections in June.
Coalition members are now organizing a petition drive that would
force a referendum to decide if there should be early elections.
According to the newspaper Sme, 95,000 people have signed the
petition as of February 23. 350,000 signatures are necessary.
CULTURE
Ten Pairs of Dancers Finish Five-day Disco-marathon
Eighty-two pairs of dancers took part in the third year of the
disco-marathon February 14 in the Atrium Hotel. Only ten pairs were able
to keep their bodies dancing with minimum breaks all the time. After
126 hours of dancing, the pairs shared a one million crown prize at
midnight Saturday.
Queen Gets Gold Record in Prague
Roger Meadows Taylor, drummer of the English rock group Queen, flew
to Prague February 21 to receive a Gold Record for the group's Greatest
Hits 2, on the Monitor-EMI label. The ceremony took place Tuesday
evening in the Unitaria Palace. A platinum record was given to the group
Shalom, which also introduced its new LP Brana vzkazu (The Gate of
Messages).
Exchange Rates of the Czech National Bank (valid from February 6)
CASH CHECKS
Buy Sell Buy Sell Middle
Great Britain 1GBP 42,85 45,69 44,046 44,488 44,267
France 1FRF 4,90 5,30 5,074 5,124 5,099
Italy 1 000ITL 17,09 18,63 17,768 17,946 17,857
Japan 100JPY 27,14 29,74 28,297 28,581 27,439
Canada 1CAD 21,44 23,22 22,216 22,440 22,328
Netherlands 1NLG 14,96 15,92 15,360 15,514 15,437
Austria 1ATS 2,40 2,52 2,452 2,476 2,464
Germany 1DEM 16,86 17,78 17,236 17,410 17,323
Switzerland 1CHF 20,11 21,11 20,502 20,708 20,605
USA 1USD 29,31 30,71 29,861 30,161 30,011
EMS-ECU 1XEU - - 33,406 33,742 33,574
Slovakia 1XCU - - - - 32,567
WEATHER
Frost was not so fierce last week, but the weather gives truth to
the proverb that in March, we will still sit by the stove.
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