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Carolina (English) No 199
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STUDENTS' E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECH REPUBLIC
Faculty of Social Science of Charles University
Smetanovo nabr. 6
110 01 Prague 1
Czech Republic
e-mail: CAROLINA@cuni.cz
tel: (+42 2) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+42 2) 24810987
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
C A R O L I N A No 199, Friday, April 19, 1996.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (April 10-17)
Havel in the Baltics
President Vaclav Havel has been in the Baltic states since April
14 on a six-day official visit.
Begining his tour in Latvia, the Czech president and his Latvian
counterpart Guntis Ulmanis witnessed the signing of a free-trade-zone
agreement between the two countries. Czech Minister of Industry and
Trade Vladimir Doulhy and Latvian Foreign Minister Valdis Birkavs signed
the agreement, which will make exchange of goods simpler. Both
presidents agreed on the importance of expanding the EU and NATO towards
the East, and on their interest in maintaining good relations with
Russia.
Before leaving April 16 for Lithuania, Havel visited a training
base for the Baltic's BALTBAT joint military units. Accompanied by the
Latvian president, he inspected weapons destined for the Czech Republic.
Petra Rubesova/Andrea Snyder
Poland and Czech Republic to Cooperate
Czech Foreign Minister Josef Zieleniec and Defense Minister Vilem
Holan met their Polish counterparts, Dariusz Rosati and Stanislaw
Dobrzanski, respectively, April 13 in Vyskov. They decided to work more
closely in the flight industry, and signed a pact to cooperate in
military areas. They also discussed problems related to NATO expansion.
Petra Rubesova/Andrea Snyder
Klaus in Leipzig
German President Roman Herzog and Saxony Prime Minister Kurt
Biedenkopf, with the participation of Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus,
opened a new fairgrounds in Leipzig April 12. Klaus was the only foreign
guest to speak at the opening. In his speech, he said he evaluates the
cooperation between Saxony and the Czech Republic as being positive,
and, in relation to the Czech-German Declaration, expressed a wish not
to dwell so much in the past, but to work on the future.
Herzog called the Czech economy a successful one and marked it as
an example for other countries interested in joining the EU. He also
commented on the importance of Leipzig and its trade fairs for both
western and eastern Europe.
Klaus attended the Auto Mobil International exposition, the first
at the new fairgrounds, and visited the Czech exhibitors, particularly
the automaker Skoda.
Barbora Spevakova/Andrea Snyder
John Major Visits Czech Republic
At the invitation of his Czech counterpart, British Prime Minister
John Major flew into the Czech Republic for a short 15-hour visit April
17. Besides official talks, the prime ministers walked along Charles
Bridge together, ate dinner at the Hrzan Palace and shared a drink at
the Rhapsody piano-bar, while Eva Pilarova sang. The Czech press
characterizes the visit as part of Major's support of Klaus' Civic
Democratic Party (ODS) in light of the upcoming elections.
Petra Rubesova/Andrea Snyder
***********************************************************************
PRE-ELECTION SERVICE
Political Parties Draw Election Numbers
Representatives of the 20 parties and movements running for
Parliament drew the numbers under which voters will vote for them.
Elections will be May 31 and June 1.
The Civic Democratic Party, called by the polls the election
favorite, drew number 3. The opposition, the Czech Social Democratic
Party - the second strongest party - drew a 2. The Civic Democratic
Alliance will run with an 8, the far-right Association for the Republic
- Czechoslovak Republican Party with a 17, the Christian Democratic
Union - Czechoslovak People's Party with a 10. The ballot marked with
a 15 is reserved for the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia. The
Left Bloc, the closest of the contending parties to the 5-per-cent
cut-off limit, can be found under number 18.
Although the parties will use the numbers in their election
campaigns, they do not afford the numbers much importance. The numbers
will be found on election platform fliers, posters and other election
materials.
Michaela Vysoudilova/Andrea Snyder
Only CSSD Allows Budget Deficit
The Czech National Social Democratic Party (CSSD) is the only
important political party which would allow a budget deficit. The
governing Civic Democratic Party with the Christian Democratic Union
- the Czechoslovak People's Party (KDU-CSL) support a balanced budget,
and are convinced that a balanced budget is the basis of a correct
economic policy. Governing coalition partner the Civic Democratic
Alliance, the opposition Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia and the
far-right Republicans do not address the issue. CSSD does not refute the
possibility of a temporary budget deficit in line with the Maastricht
Treaty. The treaty is the European Union's condition for member
countries and exchangeable currencies, which states that such countries
must keep their deficit to less than 3 per cent of GDP. The deficit
should not be able to threaten future exchange balance.
Both the Communists' and the Republicans' programs assume higher
expenses in the future, but do not count on a general tax increase, with
the exception of extremely wealthy citizens. The texts do not mention
how the increased expenses will be covered.
Radim Wolak/Andrea Snyder
Greens to Court over Ballot
The Central Election Commission upheld April 11 the Regional
Election Commission's decision to eliminate the ballot of the Green
Party in the region of northern Moravia and Silesia. Both Commissions
based this conclusion on the fact that the Green Party filled in the
ballot with only the birth numbers of its candidates, not the birthdates
as required. The Greens have a last chance to reverse the decision by
appealing to the Supreme Court, which has to decide on the validity of
the ballot within three days.
Michaela Vysoudilova/Milan Smid
ODA and ODS Have Fans among Artists
Like last year, governing coalition leader the Civic Democratic
Party (ODS) arranged a meeting this year of its principal
representatives with party Chairman and Czech Prime Minister Vaclav
Klaus at the head, and including Czech celebrities. The meeting was held
in the early evening April 10 in Prague's Nostic Palace. Singer Karel
Gott, violinist Josef Suk, director Jiri Menzel, writer Ludvik Vaculik
and artist Milan Knizak were among the participants. The director of
Vinohrady Theater, actress Jirina Jiraskova, and Klaus gave a talk to
the guests present as an introduction. After that the initiative was
left to the artists present.
They quickly created a number of debating circles, and ODS
representatives (e.g. Parliament Chairman Milan Uhde, Economy Minster
Karel Dyba, Foreign Minister Josef Zieleniec and Prague Mayor Jan
Koukal) joined in. Klaus complained when having a talk with filmmakers
that he had not seen a Czech film for a long time, because, for lack of
free time, he attends only cultural events that he is invited to. He
also amused those present with his ironic comment that after losing this
summer's elections he will have a lot of time to visit the cinema and
theater to make up for recent times.
A similar meeting was arranged also by coalition partner the Civic
Democratic Alliance (ODA) April 9 in Prague's Rudolfinum. Favor was
expressed by film director Olga Sommerova, folk singer Jaroslav Hutka,
writer Ivan Klima, songwriter Jan Vodnansky and others. Some
celebrities, like Menzel and fellow director Fero Fenic, attended both
soirees.
Alice Ticha/Alice Ticha
************************************************************************
President Receives Citizens of U Sabotu Village
President Vaclav Havel met the five-member delegation of citizens
from the village U Sabotu April 11 at Prague Castle. They handed him
a map and a letter with signatures as a display of disagreement with the
planned annexation of their settlement to Slovakia. Havel did not
promise anything to the inhabitants.
The president's spokesman, Ladislav Spacek, said after the
appointment that Havel regards the possible annexation of the settlement
as the tax that its inhabitants would have to pay for the demise of the
former federation. The delegation met also the deputies of the Left Bloc
in Parliament. Their decision concerning this problem might be decisive
in voting in Parliament (see Carolina 198).
Natasa Hajkova/Alice Ticha
"Children of the Earth" Gave Awards For Merits in Ecology
The prize Oil Gobbler (Ropak) of the Year 1995 was awarded to
Frantisek Maly, the chairman of the Beroun district office, for
supporting construction of the Tman cement works near the Czech Karst
region (Cesky kras). Czech Environment Minister Frantisek Benda took
second place, and his deputy Ales Sulc came in third. Results of the
fourth Oil Gobbler of the Year competition, organized by ecological
activists were announced April 12 in Brno, along with the first
Stupidest Statement Competition.
The 100-member jury ruled that Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus had made
the year's stupidest statement concerning the environment. Last year,
when giving a speech at Palacky University in Olomouc, he said "Ecology
is not a science. It has nothing to do with science. It is an ideology."
The oil gobbler is a fictitious creation from the 1988 film Oil
Gobblers made by then-film student Jan Sverak (son of writer-actor
Zdenek Sverak, who starred in his son's later films Elementary School,
Akumulator and the soon-to-be-released Kolya). The oil gobbler is
dependent on bad environmental conditions and cannot survive in an
ecologically clean world.
Isar A.W./Milan Smid
Pinkas Synagogue Reopened
The Pinkas Synagogue, where the walls bear the names of almost
80,000 Jews from 153 Czech and Moravian communities killed during
Holocaust was reopened April 16 after a decades-long closure.
The synagogue was opened to the public in 1959, and closed in 1968
because of a prepared reconstruction, but the Communist regime's
disfavor prevented its reopening. The names, the only remainder of the
victims, were erased. In the fall of 1992 four restorers and their
assistants began to work on the renewal of the names, as well as dates
of birth and death and last address. The records cover about 540 square
feet/170 square meters. The artists worked by hand, without stencils,
getting information from archives and Nazi files of deported Jews. In
the future more names might be added.
Zora Kasikova/Petra Sevcikova
Government Will Not Propose Dissolution of Stepan's Communists
After its April 10 cabinet meeting, the government announced it
will not propose the dissolution of the Party of Czechoslovak Communists
(SCK) to the Supreme Court. The SCK is chaired by Miroslav Stepan,
a high functionary in the pre-November 1989 regime. On the contrary, the
cabinet intends to propose a change in the law concerning political
parties and movements so that no future government will be able to
disqualify any political party from competing with other parties.
The proposal to dissolve the SCK was given to the government March
11 Interior Minister and former dissident Jan Ruml. He decided to do so
after the SCK declared, at its party congress, its affiliation with the
pre-November 1989 Communist Party (see Carolina 192 and 194).
Petr Mrzena/Petra Sevcikova
Treatment against SIV virus
Czech and Belgian scientists have discovered a drug which prevents
infection by the SIV virus, which is similar to the HIV virus. The
discovery was announced April 11 by Antonin Holy, head of the Institute
of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Czech Academy of Science.
The drug, designated (R)-PMPA, was tested on monkeys. If it was
applied shortly after the infection or before, it prevented the onset of
the sickness preceding SIV. The drug is able to disturb the metabolism
of the infected cell and destroy the virus dependant on the cells.
In March the USA approved usage of the drug Vistide, which treats
the eye diseases of AIDS patients. It was developed by a Czech-American
team, its development took 10 years and, including clinical testing,
cost 250 million USD.
Darina Coufalova/Petra Sevcikova
Czech Party of the Republic to Support Industry and Agriculture
Poldi Ocel Kladno steelworks head and owner of Bohemia Art Vladimir
Stehlik founded his own political party last week. Called the Czech
Party of the Republic (CSR), its major aim is support of industry and
agriculture, according to the Poldi spokeswoman Dana Cihelkova.
Arsen Kocarjan/Petra Sevcikova
Melantrich Taken Over by Chemapol
The Chemapol Group, which bought an almost 40-per-cent stake in
Melantrich (publisher of the daily Svobodne slovo), will have the
deciding word in Melantrich's business. Chemapol will have three seats
on Melantrich's five-member board of directors, while the Melantrich
Foundation Melantrich will have the other two.
Radim Wolak/Petra Sevcikova
FROM SLOVAKIA
President Kovac Returns Redistricting Bill to Assembly
Slovak President Michal Kovac did not sign the Redistricting Bill
(see Carolina 196) and returned it to the National Assembly for further
debate. His decision was accompanied by a written explanantion, in which
he proposes that the capital of Bratislava become a single region. Many
regions have protested against the Assembly-approved bill, particularly
representatives of the Bratislava City Council, including Mayor P.
Kresanek.
Despite the protest, Slovak Premier Vladimir Meciar has named
representatives for individual regions to carry out tasks connected with
the introduction of the bill's contents.
Petr Pabian/Michael Bluhm
ECONOMY/BUSINESS
More Than a Half-Million Employees Left Industry in Six Years
About 600,000 employees, nearly a quarter of the original total,
left various Czech industrial companies within the past six years.
A majority of them found new jobs in the services sector. Czech industry
had a workforce of 2.1 million people in 1989. In 1996, about 1.5
million employees remained. This massive shift of labor has not affected
the unemployment rate, which remains at about 3 per cent. Experts
consider this departure of workers unique in the world.
Lucie Dvorakova/Michael Wagner
Poldi Kladno Without Energy?
The Poldi Kladno steelworks are to be cut off from their supply of
electricity, steam and other sources of energy if they violate their
contract on energy payments, the Kladno Energy Center announced to
Poldi's creditors April 10.
The creditors of the steel mill are protesting, because the cutoff
could paralyze the production activities of the mill. Poldi would
receive only the minimum amount of the energy set by the law as
necessary for maintaining the safety and light, according to Czech daily
Lidove noviny.
The following production renewal could cost several hundred million
Czech crowns. Commerce Bank (Komercni banka), Poldi's biggest creditor
Poldi, is not willing to finance production.
Marketa Hudkova/Katerina Zachovalova
TV NOVA Quadrupled Profits in 1995
The company operating TV NOVA raised its pre-tax profit to about
39 million USD (about 1.05 billion Czech crowns) in 1995, four times
higher than 1994's pre-tax profit of 10.3 million USD.
The largest private television station in the Czech Republic thus
reached a level of profits comparable with the biggest domestic
industrial companies. NOVA surpassed by many times the profits of the
public Czech Television (CT). The pre-tax profits of CT in 1994 were
154 million Czech crowns. CT's 1995 results have not yet been published,
but it is presumed that CT's advertising income decreased dramatically,
and that last year ended in red ink for CT.
NOVA is one of the subsidiaries of Central European Media
Enterprises, which operates private TV stations in central and eastern
Europe, and it is the only CME subsidiary with significant profits.
The Czech Association of Advertising Agencies (ARA) expects
a further increase in advertising expenditure in 1996, when Czech
advertisers should spend about 1.1 billion Czech crowns more than year
before. The increase should be stimulated partially by the election
campaign and the unprecedentedly large advertising campaign for the
mobile phones.
David Vozdecky/Katerina Zachovalova
Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank
(valid from April 15)
country currency
------------------------------------------
Australia 1 AUD 21.674
Belgium 100 BEF 89.257
Great Britain 1 GBP 41.649
Denmark 1 DKK 4.750
Finland 1 FIM 5.829
France 1 FRF 5.399
Ireland 1 IEP 43.158
Italy 1000 ITL 17.505
Japan 100 JPY 25.552
Canada 1 CAD 20.310
Luxemburg 100 LUF 89.257
Netherlands 1 NLG 16.400
Norway 1 NOK 4.247
New Zealand 1 NZD 18.850
Portugal 100 PTE 17.863
Austria 1 ATS 2.608
Greece 100 GRD 11.403
Slovakia 100 SKK 90.630
Germany 1 DEM 18.331
Spain 100 ESP 21.981
Sweden 1 SEK 4.092
Switzerland 1 CHF 22.513
USA 1 USD 27.580
ECU 1 XEU 34.300
SDR 1 XDR 39.862
CULTURE
Czech Culture to Contribute to Bosnia's Recovery
The festival of Czech culture called Spring '96 will open in
Sarajevo April 19. The Man in Emergency (CVT) Foundation is organizing
the festival, with financial backing from Czech Television and the firm
Barrandov Biografia.
"Rescue aid to Bosnia ended at the close of last year, now
development aid is taking off. What we are doing now is not a matter of
life and death. It is now a question of Bosnia becoming a normal
European state," said Simon Panek, the director of the CVT, to the Czech
daily Lidove noviny. Film and TV production foremost will be shown to
the Bosnian audience - productions include cartoons and children's
feature films, film dramas, musical programs and portraits of Czech
President Vaclav Havel's and Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus's from the TV
cycle GEN. The Smetana trio, the Kubelik trio, violinist Jaroslav
Sveceny and a few rock bands will bring Czech music into the country at
10 various sites. Art and photo exhibitions will complete the cultural
festival.
Jitka Motejzikova/Jitka Motejzikova
Remarkable Exhibit in National Gallery
The exhibit entitled The Art Gallery in Bohemia 1796-1918 will be
opened in the Prague Castle Riding School. The National Gallery arranged
this exhibition to comemmorate the 200th anniversary of the
establishment of the Art Gallery Society of the Patriotic Friends of Art
in Bohemia.
The authors of the exhibition wanted to show what kind of art was
considered to be representative in the 19th century. Vit Valnas, who
designed the exhibit, said at a press conference that the exhibit was
not only about art but also about the development of art presentation.
The selection of exhibited works was directed by the criteria of that
time, according to which the exhibit is divided into three parts. The
first part shows the collection from the establishment of the society
till the beginning of the 1880's. The second part introduces the golden
age of the Art Gallery Society, after 1885. The third part brings us
near to the spirit of Prague's spring salons at the turn of the century.
The exhibition will be opened till June 30.
Olga Huderova/Jitka Motejzikova
Alberto Sordi Visits Days of European Film Festival in Prague
Alberto Sordi visited the third-annual Days of European Film
Festival, in progress at Prague's Lucerna Theater from April 12-21. The
Italian actor, director and screenwriter presented his two newest films
- The Affair of a Poor Young Man and Nestor's Last Run - within the film
festival. Aside from these films, Sordi also introduced to the Czech
public his autobiography, The Story of an Italian, which should soon be
published in Czech.
Jakub Konecny/Klara Schirova
International Theater Festival in Budejovice
The international theater festival A Pleasant Meeting took place in
Ceske Budejovice April 10-4. The NOS Theater (The Independent Open
Scene), recently formed by the fusion of the Studio dell Arte and the
Continuo Theater, hosted the festival. Theater groups from the Czech
Republic, Slovakia, France, Belgium, Germany and Austria participated in
the Budejovice festival.
Alida Kassymova/Klara Schirova
Czech Museum of Fine Arts Hosting Two Exhibits at Once
Two exhibits premiered in the Czech Museum of Fine Arts in Prague
April 15. The first one presents works from painter Jiri Corvin,
inspired by the northen Bohemian landscape rendered in the majority of
his paintings (as a consequence of extensive coal mining, northern
Bohemia is one of the most devasted areas in the country). Simple
abstract painting hides dramatic motives, and points at the destruction
of nature and the problems of a continuously growing civilization.
The second exhibit introduces the works of sculptress Daniela
Vinopalova-Vodakova from the years 1960-96. Tin vases of the most
various shapes and an exhibit of silver jewels form her psychological
work. Both exhibits will last till May 12.
Lucie Dvorakova/Klara Schirova
SPORT
Preparation For the Hockey World Championship
In the penultimate warm-up before the World Championship, the Czech
national team went to Sweden. In the first match in Stockholm, they tied
the Swedes 3:3, after the Swedes equalized in a power play 63 seconds
before the end of match. Goals: Karlson, Johanson, Gustafsson - Vejvoda,
Kysela, M. Prochazka. The second match was won by the home team 7:3.
Goals: H. Jonsson 2, Forslund, Dackel, Huusko, Modin, Bergquist - Ujcik,
Dopita, Patera.
The last part of the preparation took place in Ceske Budejovice,
where NHL players joined the Czech team (Bonk, Neckar, Lang and M.
Sykora). The Czech-Sweden match will open the championship April 21.
Final Exhibition Match (played after Carolina's April 18 deadline):
Czech Republic - Canada 6:3
Adam Kotalik/Jitka Hejtmanova
UEFA Cup Finals
The UEFA Cup semifinal saw the end of the Slavia Praha team's
ambitions. After the 0:1 home loss to the French team Girondins
Bordeaux, Slavia lost again by the same score April 16. In front of
32,000 people the home team started more actively and in the seventh
minute the Czech goalie Stejskal had already caught Bordeaux's third
shot. Like the first match, Slavia's defense was tested most by the
French tandem of Duggary - Zidane. After a goal-less first half, the
home team started to win. In the 47th minute, Tholot scored.
After two losses, Slavia did not make the final, but its
performance was not disappointing. The final opponents of Girondins
Bordeaux will be Bayern Munchen.
Jan Palicka/Jitka Hejtmanova
In the Fight for Europe, Olomouc More Successful
The 24th round of the soccer league was rich in goals as well as in
spectators (43,667 altogether). In the duel of teams at the top of the
standings, second-place Olomouc emerged as the winner over Jablonec and
is close to participation in the European Soccer Cup. Drnovice (3rd
place) - the next European Cup candidate - was able to cope with Ostrava
(13th) without any problems. Slavia strenghtened its lead by defeating
Ceske Budejovice (8th), Sparta (5th) is on the contrary slowly saying
goodbye to the UEFA Cup due to a draw in Zlin (15th). Hradec Kralove
(14th) defeated Uherske Hradiste (16th) in the fight to remain in the
league. The Liberec - Plzen match was postponed.
Results: Zlin - Sparta 10-1, Opava - Cheb 4-1, Brno - Zizkov 3-1,
Olomouc - Jablonec 2-1, Hradec Kralove - Uherske Hradiste 2-0, Drnovice
- Ostrava 3-1, Slavia - Ceske Budejovice 3-0, Liberec - Plzen postponed.
Make-up from the 20th round: Liberec - Ziskov 0-0
Make-up from the 23th round: Ceske Budejovice - Hradec Kralove 0-3
Standings after 23 rounds (3 matches still unplayed): 1. Slavia 52
(-1); 2. Olomouc 49; 3. Drnovice 45; 4. Jablonec 41 (-1); 5. Sparta 39;
6. Opava 36; 7. Liberec 33 (-1); 8. Ziskov 31; 9. Ceske Budejovice 31;
10. Plzen 30 (-1); 11. Cheb 28; 12. Boby Brno 28 (-1); 13. Ostrava 26
(-1); 14. Hradec Kralove 22; 15. Zlin 18; 16. Uherske Hradiste 13.
David Sprincl/Alice Ticha
Czech Government Agrees with Arrangement of European Championship
The government of Czech Republic agreed with the candidacy of the
Czech Republic to host the European soccer championships in 2004. The
Czech Republic and Austria would organize the championship. Prime
Minister Vaclav Klaus also said the government supports the proposal to
hold the World Championship in skiing in 2003.
Jan Palicka/Jitka Hejtmanova
WEATHER
Hurray! Spring is here and summer is approaching. Last week we did
however live through a snowstorm, and rain and cold wind. Strong storms
filled rivers and the Hydrometeorological Institute feared until Sunday
that the rivers might overflow their banks. In the end, nothing of the
sort happened. On the contrary, the daytime temperature rose to 14
degrees Celsius/58 degrees Fahrenheit and it seems that we can count on
the sun now.
Maria Tripoliti/Klara Schirova
English version edited by Michael Bluhm
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