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Carolina (English) No 234
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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 234, Friday, February 14, 1997.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (February 5-12)
Rail Strike Ends
The five-day strike of Czech Railways workers, the largest strike in
the last half-century (reported daily Lidove noviny) and the largest
social conflict in the existence of the Czech Republic (reported daily
Pravo), ended February 8 one minute before midnight. The end came after
six hours of negotiations between union leaders and government members,
in which railway workers had three of their four demands satisfied (see
Carolina 233).
Thre agreement reached between the Union Association of Railway
Workers, the Transportation Ministry and Czech Railways states that
Transportation Minister Martin Riman will present by May 31 a plan for
Czech transportation strategy and with it will provide a plan for rail
transportation. Union leaders will be able to contribute to future
transformation steps in railway matters, even though the final word will
belong to the government. Strikers will not suffer from any punishments
or sanctions, which had been one of the union's demands.
Railworkers did not succeed in recalling Czech Railways General
Director Rudolf Mladek. Union Chief Jaromir Dusek said the general
director's recall is still possible under the point of the agreement
which deals with potential personnel steps in the first phase of
a thorough control of the operations of Czech Railways. The inability to
satisfy the demand for Mladek's recall was the only reason the strike
did not end February 7.
Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus labeled the strike an unnecessary
adventure and an abuse of post-1989 freedoms. "That which was agreed to
Saturday night is quite close to what we agreed with Mr. Dusek January
16. If there had been no strike, we would now be sitting with Mr. Dusek
and the same materials which were antagonized out of us at the expense
of five days of chaos," said Klaus to daily MF DNES February 10.
Dusek said the agreement was something labor leaders had futilely
called for over seven years. Dusek considers it significant that the
obligation to fulfill the agreement falls on Josef Lux
(co-vice-chairman of government, agriculture minister and chairman of
the Christian Democrats), Ivan Kocarnik (co-vice-chairman of the
government and finance minister) and Trade Minister Vladimir Dlouhy, who
were nominated at the evening bargaining session. Conventional wisdom
accords credit for mediating the negotiations to Lux. "Without Lux,
we'd still be on strike," said Dusek on February 9's Debata television
program.
The first head to roll in connection with the strike belonged to
Deputy Transportation Minister for Railways Dalibor Zeleny. He was
recalled February 11 for failing to manage mediation between the
ministry, the railways and the unions. A successor has not yet been
named, though unions say Zeleny was the only one at the ministry who
understood railways.
Parliament Begins Debate of Czech-German Declaration
February 11 coalition deputies proposed that debate on the
Czech-German Declaration begin immediately, although it was not to have
been on the agenda for several days. This followed agreement on
a resolution to accompany the declaration reached February 10 between
Prime Minister and Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Chairman Vaclav Klaus
and Parliament Chairman and leader of the opposition Social Democrats
Milos Zeman. "I view the text of the statement hopefully," said Klaus
after the hour-long meeting, as reported in the February 11 edition of
daily MF DNES.
Klaus' unexpected move came as a shock to Foreign Minister Josef
Zieleniec and other politicians, according to the paper's caption. Up to
then not only the ODS but also the entire coalition were of the opinion
that no resolution was needed. Both junior coalition parties, the Civic
Democratic Alliance and the Christian Democrats, immediately took
a stand against Klaus' plan and other ODS deputies distanced themselves
as well from the agreement between the leaders of the two strongest
parties. The ODS Parliament club February 11 confirmed its position not
to accept any resolution accompanying the Czech-German Declaration,
regardless of Klaus' promise.
Parliament continues to debate the Czech-German Declaration, with
deputies meeting into the late hours of the night, and by February 14 at
3 p.m. no vote had been taken.
Fascists Paralyze Parliament Proceedings
Miroslav Sladek's neo-Facsist Republicans froze proceedings in
Parliament February 5 with several hours of speeches. The Czech-German
Declaration was to have been discussed, but will have to wait for the
next meeting of Parliament, in March.
Chairman of Parliament Milos Zeman proposed February 7 that speeches
be limited to 10 minutes. Civic Democratic Party Chairman and Prima
Minister Vaclav Klaus met with Zeman February 10 to discuss restraining
further Republican obstruction in Parliament's Lower Chamber. They also
decided to meet on a regular basis preceeding all Parliament sessions.
Parliament Deputy Attacked
Social Democrat Parliamentary Deputy Pavel Dostal was attacked on
the night of February 5 close to Prague's Malostranske Square after
leaving a session in Parliament. The unidentified assailants slashed his
face with a knife several times, leaving his wallet intact, before
abandoning the scene.
Many politicians, including President Havel, believe the possibly
politically-motivated attack relates to Dostal's recent criticism of the
neo-Fascist Republican Party in his support of the Czech-German
Declaration. Havel invited the deputy to his private villa in Prague's
Stresovice as a show of support. A special civic counter-espionage unit
from the Interior Ministry and the Security and Information Service's
extremism department are investigating.
Havel to Get American Check-Up
The Office of the President and members of the Physician's Council
said February 7 that President Vaclav Havel will go to several clinics
in the United States for check-ups following the removal of a malignant
tumor from his lung in January.
Also, on a professional trip to the US in May, Czech and German
presidents Havel and Roman Herzog will accept European Statesman Awards
for their contribution to the development of Czech-German relations.
Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Denies Corruption Rumors
Recently the Czech press has been paying a lot of attention to
alleged corruption in the tender for a staff information system. Last
year in a statement to the FBI, American businessman Bruno Amicci
accused Ludek Vychodil, the prime minster's chief of staff, of
corruption and of influencing an 1995 army tender valued at 4 billion
crowns. The FBI sent the information to the Security and Information
Service (BIS) last year, with a with a request for BIS to check the
legality of the activities. BIS Director Jaroslav Jira refuses to inform
the public about the investgation's outcome, wrote Czech daily MF DNES
February 7.
Amicci reported that Vychodil and his brother Otakar, who was at the
time a Civic Democratic Party (ODS) member of Parliament and the
chairman of Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, were to receive
nearly one million crowns for ensuring that Unisys, which represented
Amicci's company Triad, won the tender. Both Vychodils denied the
accusations. Amicci later accused the EDS company, which also took part
in the tender, of offering ODS member Petr Necas, who was at that time
the First Deputy to the Minister of Defense, a bribe of one million
dollars. Both Necas and EDS vehemently deny the accusations.
NEWS IN BRIEF
* On February 4, in his annual State of the Union address, American
President Bill Clinton expressed his support for the expansion of NATO
to include countries of the former Warsaw Pact by 1999. This time
Clinton gave more attention to foreign policy questions than in previous
years, and he stated that preserving an undivided and democratic Europe
was part of US plans. (Reported February 6 in the daily Denni telegraf
and other papers.)
* Turkey intends to retain its right to block NATO expansion into
Eastern Europe if it is not accepted as a full member of the EU,
reported daily Pravo February 8 in connection with the end of NATO
Secretary General Javier Solana's visit to Ankara.
* The chain teachers' strike for higher pay, which began Jan. 28 in
Brno, Blansko, Znojmo and Nachod counties, continues. The one-day
strikes take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and about one-third of
schools are taking part. On February 11 the strike continued in Vsetin,
Novy Jicin, Prerov, Ostrava, Karvina, Opava, Most, Strakonice and
Jesenik. The strike has been called for 10 more counties on February 13.
* The Ferdinand Peroutka Prize for Journalism has been won by Vladimir
Mlynar, Editor-in-Chief of the weekly Respekt, and by Ivan Hoffman of
Czech Radio. The prizes were awarded February 6 at the Faculty of Social
Sciences.
* According to a January survey of the Institute for Public Opinion
Research, 31 per cent of Czech citizens admit to being personally
critical of other races (three-quarters feel hostility towards Romanies
- Gypsies). On the other hand, one of every 25 people questioned had
themselves felt the effects of racial intolerance last year. The results
of the survey were made public in the press this week.
* Executive Director of Poldi Ocel Marko Stehlik was released from
Prague-Ruzyne jail on 3-million-crown bail. He and his father Vladimir,
who the court had earlier refused to release on bail, are alleged to
have committed illegal property transactions, violations of duty while
administering property in trust and misuse of information in
a commercial transaction.
* President Vaclav Havel pardoned Jaroslav Lieskovan, the second person
convicted in the case of the death of former Olympian Josef Odlozil (see
previous two Carolinas). The presidential spokesman's announcement was
carried in the press February 12.
* The fourth bombing within a week occurred in Olomouc February 5. The
most recent explosion - a grenade - in a private apartment claimed its
first victim, a 75-year-old man. Police are investigating the
circumstances of the bombings, which have occurred in front of the
county courthouse and under the gas tanks of cars belonging to local
businessmen.
FROM SLOVAKIA
National Theater Will Probably Strike Again
Leopold Haverl became the new drama chief of the Slovak National
Theater, even though he did not win the competition for this post.
Haverl was named by Miroslav Fischer, director of the Slovak National
Theater, who recently replaced the recalled Dusan Jamrich.
It was Emil Horvath who won the competition for the post of drama
director, but he was not acceptable to Fischer or Culture Minister Ivan
Hudec.
Slovak actors, through their trade union, challenged Fischer to keep
his promise and name Horvath to the post of drama director. If he does
not name Horvath, they are ready to strike February 18.
ONE-SENTENCE NEWS
* Governing coalition member Slovak Workers' Association supported the
opposition by not approving the amended criminal code. It is regarded as
the opposition's first victory in Parliament since the 1994 elections.
* More than 300,000 signatures have been collected on a petition
supporting direct presidential election, said Ivan Simek, Vice-Chairman
of the Christian Democratic Movement. Even though this number is
sufficient for calling a referendum, the signing campaign continues.
* Almost 4,500 parents of pupils from 20 schools in the Komarno
district, where Hungarian is the classroom language, signed a petition
against single-language report cards (see Carolina 233).
* Total inflation dropped to 5.8 per cent in January from 6.4 per cent
in December.
* A hit man shot former Slovak National Party central secretary Jozef
Matula February 10. The shooting occurred in broad daylight in
Bratislava's populous Petrzalka neighborhood. The murder was ordered by
Stefan M., a businessman who wanted to end his homosexual relationship
with Matula. Stefan is said to have been blackmailed by Matula, to
explain why the businessman hired Ludovit T. and promised 100,000 Slovak
crowns for the murder. The hit man was caught on the evening of the day
of the murder at the Czech-Slovak border in Holic-Hodonin. Jan Slota,
chairman of the neo-Fascist Slovak National Party, said the whole
country is threatened by rising violence, which might have political
undertones.
ECONOMY
Inflation Hits Record Low in January
The inflation rate for January was the lowest in the 49-month
history of the Czech Republic. Consumer prices did rise 1.2 per cent
from December, but the 12-month inflation rate sank to a record low of
7.4 per cent.
The trend will probably last until the middle of the year, because
in July inflation will be affected by the prepared partial deregulation
of rents and energy prices. Statisticians estimate 1997 inflation will
be about 8 per cent.
Unemployment Rate Reaches 4 Per Cent
Czech labor offices have recorded 205,000 unemployed people, which
represents 4 per cent of the Czech workforce. The unemployment rate thus
reached its highest level in the previous five years. The highest
unemployment was in the northern Bohemian region of Most (10.5 per
cent), the loewst, as usual, in Prague (0.5 per cent). During the same
period labor offices offered 81,472 available jobs.
Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank
(valid from February 14)
country currency
------------------------------------------
Great Britain 1 GBP 46.544
France 1 FRF 5.014
Japan 100 JPY 22.922
Canada 1 CAD 21.033
Austria 1 ATS 2.406
Slovakia 100 SKK 87.238
Germany 1 DEM 16.930
Switzerland 1 CHF 19.670
USA 1 USD 28.497
ECU 1 XEU 32.944
IMF 1 XDR 39.385
CULTURE
Kolya Nominated for Oscar
Kolya, the latest film from father-and-son team Zdenek (screenplay,
leading role) and Jan (director) Sverak (31), was nominated for the Best
Foreign Film Oscar February 11. Its rivals in the category are the films
Another Side Of Sunday (Norway), Ridicule (France), The Captive Of
Caucasus (Russia) and One Thousand And One Recipe of a Cook in Love
(Georgia, starring Pierre Richard). Both latter Russian and Georgian
films won prizes at a Karlovy Vary Film Festival in 1996.
"The nomination will help Kolya, which is playing for now in the
United States in 40 copies," Jan Sverak, 31, said to the daily Lidove
noviny. "But at the same time I hope it will benefit all of Czech
cinematography, which the world will watch more attentively."
Kolya is the story of a Russian boy whose mother emigrates to the
former West Germany. She leaves him alone in Prague with the boy's
grandmother in communist Czechoslovakia of the late 1980s. The
grandmather dies and the boy has to live together with a man who has
never raised a child. They do not understand each other, they cannot
even speak the other's language. But after several tough weeks they
become friends. "It is touching, why should I make you believe it is
not, but there is a lot of fun too," an author of the script and star of
the film Zdenek Sverak, a father of Jan Sverak, says.
The nomination for Oscar is the Sveraks' second. Their 1992 film
Elementary School (Obecni skola), like Kolya based on the father's
script and acting and the son's direction, was nominated too, but did
not win. Overseas, Kolya is distributed and supported by Miramax, so
that it has much better publicity. Another Czech, emigre Milos Forman
(One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus, Valmont), was also nominated
for an Oscar as director of The People Vs. Larry Flynt.
For more information about Kolya see Carolina 206, 218, 231 and 232.
Thalie Theater Award Nominations Announced
Nominations for the Thalie, an annual award for the best theater
actor and actress, ballet dancer, mime and in categories for modern
dance, musical, opera and comic opera, were announced by the Czech
Actors' Association February 6.
They nominated actors and actresses from local theaters in the towns
of Olomouc, Plzen, Most, Brno and Mlada Boleslav, but also popular
Prague actors known from TV, such as Jiri Labus, Jana Hlavacova and
Jitka Molavcova.
Beatles Exhibit in Museum of Technology
Thirty Years of Yesterday - The World of the Beatles is the title of
an exhibit in Prague's Museum of Technology till March 21. Visitors can
see photographies, films, documents, manuscripts of lyrics, letters,
postcards and autographs of the Beatles.
One rare item is a copy of the Liverpool Cavern Club stage, where
the pop group performed, with authentic instruments. The exhibits come
from the private collection of Austrian journalist Peter Leopold and The
Beatles Fan Club of Austria.
SPORT
Czech Republic Advances to Davis Cup Second Round
The Czech Republic tennis team advanced to the second round of the
Davis Cup world group by its weekend win over India 3-2. The match was
played on a clay court built in the Pribram stadium on a melted
ice-hockey rink.
Petr Korda started the February 7 program. He defeated Indian
Mahesh Bhupathi easily 6-3, 6-7, 6-1, 6-2, and the flu probably troubled
him more than the opponent's play. The second point went to the Indians,
when Leander Paes, a player ranked somewhere in the second hundred of
the world's top players who performs far better when on behalf of his
country, defeated Jiri Novak 6-2, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.
Paes and Bhupathi won the February 8 doubles match unexpectedly
easily 7-6, 6-3, 6-4, getting points mainly at the expense of Martin
Damm, the poorer part of a couple with Korda.
Korda February 9 confirmed the persistent optimism of team captain
Vladislav Savrda, although he did lose the first set with Paes. Then he
broke Paes' serve (for the first time in the whole match, after Paes had
already logged six hours of playing time) and then he was truly better:
5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1. Jiri Novak then had to come up with the decisive win
in only his third Davis Cup singles match. He entered it confidently and
with his 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 win he sent the Czech team to the second round,
preparing the squad for a trip to Australia's grass courts.
After his February 9 match with Paes, the 29-year-old Korda
announced the end of his Davis Cup career. He cited the demands of the
Cup matches in explaining his decision. "I want to leave on top," Korda
said. He has played 42 singles and doubles matches in the Davis Cup
during nine years, and won 29 of them.
Czech Hockey Players Fail in Swedish Games
With only one win, the world champion Czech team finished last in
the Swedish Games in Stockholm.
In the first match, the Czech Republic lost to Finland 0-5 and only
Simicek and Vujtek played decently. Against the Swedes, the Czechs
opened the scoring (Patera), but another goal just before the first
period's close negated it. Nor could Prochazka's and Slegr's goals help,
and the Czechs lost 3-6. A weak win over Canada 2-1 (Patera, Vujtek)
ended the losing streak, but the tournament's end for the Czechs was the
same as the beginning. The score with Russia was even only until the
12th minute, and then for a few seconds in the 17th minute with
Patera's goal to match Fokin's. Russia defeated the Czechs 1-5.
The world champions have finished three times in last place in this
season (the World Cup European group, the Karjala Cup in Finland and the
Swedish Games), only in the Izvestiya Cup in Moscow could they manage
a finish in second-to-last place.
Hockey Extraleague Picks up after All-Star Break
Zlin and Slavia Praha, both fighting to make the playoffs, each won
their matches 5-3, but the Ceske Budejovice playoff hopefuls suffered
a blow-out in Vitkovice. First-place Vsetin erased a four-goal deficit
in Trinec and got a tie.
Results from the 41st round: Slavia Praha - Pardubice 5-3, Trinec
- Vsetin 4-4, Zlin - Litvinov 5-3, Opava - Sparta Praha 2-4, Vitkovice
- Ceske Budejovice 9-0, Olomouc - Kladno 5-2, Plzen - Jihlava 3-3.
The standings: Vsetin 58 pts., Sparta 52, Vitkovice 50, Pardubice
46, Trinec 43, Kladno 42, Budejovice 41, Litvinov 41, Zlin 39, Slavia
37, Olomouc 36, Plzen 35, Jihlava 31, Opava 21.
SPORTS IN BRIEF
* The Aero Odolena Voda squad lost the first C.E.V. Cup quarterfinal
match in Cannes, France to AS' volleyballers 2-3, which is a hopeful
result for the rematch to be played February 12.
* Ludvik Danek, 1972 Olympic discus champion, was awarded the 1997
Czech Fair Play Award February 7.
* Slovak hockey players advanced to the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in
Nagano, Japan at the qualification tournament in Oberhausen.
WEATHER
Spring blew in for a visit to Prague last week. The air was filled
with a gentle breeze and the city's winged inhabitants made their
presence known. The sunny and relatively warm weather (10 degrees
Celsius/50 degrees Fahrenheit) is now alternating with rain, flurries
and gradual cooling. A majority of the country is expecting rain or
a mix of snow and rain. This time we'll have to side with the eternal
pessimists and wait for actual spring.
CREDITS
Domestic news was translated by Andy Faust, Andrea Snyder and
Michael Bluhm, news from Slovakia was translated by Magdalena Vanova,
Economy by Michael Bluhm, Culture by Jan Majer, Sports by Mirek Langer
and Weather by Michael Bluhm.
Edited by Michael Bluhm.
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