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Carolina (English) No 241
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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: (+4202) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+4202) 24810987
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
C A R O L I N A No 241, Friday, April 4, 1997.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (March 26-April 2)
Chirac's First Official Visit to Czech Republic
French President Jacques Chirac visited the Czech Republic April
2-3. His wife Bernadette, 13 high-ranking company representatives and
several members of the government accompanied him. Chirac met with Czech
President Vaclav Havel and other Czech politicians mainly about the
development of Czech-French ties and EU and NATO development.
Czech Television broadcast an interview with Chirac on the first
evening of his visit. When asked if the Czech Republic could count on
France to support Czech NATO membership despite Russian interests,
Chirac said yes. Chirac continued by saying that the Czech Republic has
France's full support, no matter what, in attaining full NATO
membership. He said France wants very much for NATO to give the green
light for expansion at its Madrid summit in July, so that by 1999 the
Czech Republic will be a cornerstone of European security. Chirac also
said the Czech Republic should be in the first wave of new EU countries,
and that by the year 2000, the Czech Republic should be a member.
Chirac spoke to both chambers of Czech Parliament at Prague Castle
April 3.
Denisa Vitkova/Andrea Snyder
Government Approves Defense Strategy
The government passed the Defense Strategy Act March 26, the
concrete goal of the constitutional security law of the Czech Republic
and a restructuring concept for the Czech army to last until 2005.
President Vaclav Havel was present at the meeting. Havel said that
approving measures which would ensure stability of the country in times
of danger is an important step. Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus added that
negotiations were sped up in light of the NATO summit in Madrid this
July, at which new memberships will likely be decided.
At the meeting, the cabinet also decided to speed up negotiation on
the Aero Vodochody contract for the supply of L-159 fighter planes.
Seventy-two of the Czech aircraft will add to the West's supply of
supersonic fighter planes.
Vit Bartek/Andrea Snyder
Parliament Turns Down Opposition's Pension Law Proposal
A pension law proposal, submitted by the Social Democrat (CSSD)
opposition, was voted down by Parliament March 26. The proposal would
have maintained the retirement age for men at 60 and for women at
53-57, depending on the number of children they have. The entire
opposition voted for the proposal, and all of the coalition deputies and
two former CSSD members, Josef Wagner (independent) and Tomas Teplik
(Civic Democratic Party), voted against. The proposal was not rejected
until the second reading, because several members of the coalition did
not arrive on time.
Now that the proposal has been shot down, retirement ages will
continue to increase. The pension insurance law, valid in January 1996,
ensures that by the year 2007, men will retire at 63 and women at 57-61.
Parliament will review a government proposal improving early
retirement conditions at its May session. Czech daily MF DNES expects
CSSD to submit its proposal again in May.
Bohdana Rambouskova/Andrea Snyder
Hospitals in Black to Pay Cash for Medicines
As of April 1, wholesale medicine distributors started selling
medicines to certain hospitals only for cash, in reaction to hospital
debts which now total 1.3 billion crowns. Hospitals in Decin, Olomouc,
Opava, Bilovec and Krnov have medicines in reserves for at least one
more week. The Czech press reported that distributors stopped supplying
the Czech Republic's largest and most indebted hospital, Prague-Motol.
The state plans to turn back the wave of bankruptcies threatening
hospitals by lending health insurance companies a total of 4 billion
crowns through the Consolidation Bank. They can in turn pay their debts
to hospitals, who will then be able to pay off medicine distributors.
The Association of Wholesale Medicine Distributors (AVEL) demands
a document saying when the Consolidation Bank will grant the loan and
how long it will take for individual debts to be paid. Health Minister
Jan Strasky canceled his meeting with AVEL Chairman Pavel Suchy, saying
that he must first negotiate the demanded guarantees with the
government.
Jiri Fremuth/Andrea Snyder
Prague's Public Transportation to Be Discontinued
July 1 marks the end of all surface public transportation in Prague.
Only one of the three metro lines, the C line, will continue to
function, said Frantisek Kafka, Prague Transit Authority (DP) spokesman.
"It will be a short trial," he announced.
DP management says that this step is a reaction to long-term
financial losses. "We do not even have enough money to replace a broken
rear-view mirror," Kafka told Carolina, adding that more and more Czechs
are using cars, and that many of them have not stepped into a tram for
years.
This step will save the Prague mayor's office 52 million crowns just
in the next six months, which will be used to improve the city's
Christmas decorations markedly.
The people of Prague and its police force are worried. "It will be
the end," said a DP traffic cop on National Avenue (Narodni trida).
Michal Schindler/Andrea Snyder
Havel Still Favorite Politician
With the support of nearly 70 per cent of the Czech population,
President Vaclav Havel continues to be the country's most liked
politician. The public opinion poll was conducted by the Center for
Empirical Research (STEM) last week.
Approximately 1,600 respondents graded the President with marks
ranging from a high of 1 to a low of 5. Havel's best mark was a 1.74 in
the Representation Abroad class. Fifty-two per cent said that he was
"a model repesentative." His worst grade was in Pardons and Amnesty,
a minus 3. Havel was also graded in Development of Democracy,
Maintaining Human Rights, Responding to Complaints and Speeches in
Parliament.
The STEM poll showed that people cannot agree on what sort of
authority the president should have. While 27 per cent says that he
should only carry out his function, nearly half the Czechs polled would
like to increase his authority. Havel took 13th place on the list of
"institutions influencing the country," following the government, the
media, the church and the European Union. The lowest rankings on the
list were local public offices, courts, the army and the police.
Lenka Javurkova/Andrea Snyder
Interior Ministry Proposal Will Allow Prosecution of Drug Addicts
According to a proposed legal amendment, the possession of narcotics
for personal use would become punishable, as is the case in most western
European countries, from the end of this year.
Users of "more than a small amount" of drugs today face criminal
prosecution, and they can also be compelled to undergo medical
treatment. Possession of "a small amount" is a misdemeanor, thus
allowing for a warning, fines (up to 15,000 crowns) or the revocation of
the person's driving and firearms licenses.
The ministry's proposal needs to be passed by both the cabinet and
Parliament. The governing coalition position is unclear. Only the
Christian Democrats have long supported the punishment of drug addicts.
The Social Democrats, the strongest opposition party, is not of one mind
on the issue either. Organizations helping addicts called the proposal
a political gesture and added that it will not discourage people from
using drugs. Some experts warn of a possible price increase of narcotics
on the street, while others believe that this, combined with more
limited availability, will lead to a reduction in consumption.
Jana Weisnerova/Andy Faust
Czech Broadcasting British Correspondent Karel Kyncl Dies
Karel Kyncl, long-time Czech Broadcasting radio correspondent in
London, died at age 70 after a long illness April 1 in Prague. Kyncl
became famous in the 60's as a radio correspondent reporting on the
Kennedy assassination in 1963. During the normalization era of the
70's, Kyncl was fired from Czechoslovak Broadcasting and a publication
ban was imposed on him. He worked for a time as an ice-cream vendor. He
was jailed in 1972-73 and 1981-82, and was one of the first signatories
of the Charter 77. In 1983 he accepted an offer of asylum from the
British government. He became a freelancer for Radio Free Europe, the
BBC and several exile periodicals.
After the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia he became the London
correspondent for Czechoslovak, later Czech, Broadcasting again. His
writings My Britain, 63 Days to Dallas or several collections of essays
(e.g. Garden Party at the Queen's) gained popularity among the Czech
readership. He participated in the education of young journalists, he
lectured on radio correspondent work as a guest at this university's
Writing for Journalism in December.
Michal Schindler/Milan Smid
FROM SLOVAKIA
Meciar Postpones Visit to Czech Republic
Slovak Premier Vladimir Meciar decided April 1 to postpone his
official visit to the Czech Republic planned for sometime during April,
after some Czech politicians expressed opposition to the visit last
week. According to Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, Meciar's visit is
not a priority right now and no preparations have been made. President
Vaclav Havel said he would welcome such a visit, but he believes his
opinions would not please Meciar.
Meciar told the Czech daily MF DNES he considers it unfair that the
Czech Republic, which is trying to become a member of NATO, is holding
and more than likely also using Slovakia's gold stores and other
property. The Slovak government's press speaker rejected speculation
that Meciar's visit is aimed at making the division of former
Czechoslovak property final. Meanwhile, Meciar is talking only of the
Slovak gold reserves stashed in the deposits of the Czech National Bank.
Jan Potucek/Sofia Karakeva
University Students on Strike Losing Support
The number of university students on strike on behalf of the
Coordinating Center for Strike Committees (KCSV) of Slovakia's
universities is shrinking every day. At the beginning, the number of
students on strike may have been in the hundreds (according to the
opposition press, in the thousands) but now is in double digits.
Another example was the March 26 demonstration in front of the
Ministry of Culture on Slovak National Uprising (SNP) Square in
Bratislava. More than 200 students, actors and other citizens supporting
students formed a human chain in front of the ministry. But if one
counts the 19 universities which belong to the KCSV and supported the
List of Students' Demands, and the fact that there are more than 25,000
students in Slovakia, attendance at the March 26 demonstration was
indeed miserable. KSCV Chairman Juraj Sulik said students will continue
with similiar actions after the Easter holidays until the government
agrees on a dialogue and fulfills students' demands (see Carolina 240).
Jan Potucek/Sofia Karakeva
Chinese Communist Delegation in Slovakia
Interested especially in deepening bilateral relations, Chinese
communists accepted the ruling Movement for a Democratic Slovakia's
invitation for an official visit to Slovakia. Tai Pink Kua, first deputy
of the international department manager of the Chinese Communist
Party's Central Committee, announced the decision to the Slovak daily
SME. During their visit last week, the Chinese communists also initiated
a dialogue with the opposition Party of the Democratic Left.
The delegation was particularly interested in NATO expansion and
perspectives for Slovak-Chinese economic ties. The Chinese rejected the
possibility of creating a Sino-Russian pact in the event of NATO
expansion into central and eastern Europe.
Jan Potucek/Denisa Vitkova
ECONOMY
Government Looks for Ways to Resuscitate Czech Economy
The Czech Chamber of Deputies required the government April 1 to
present a full report about the state of the Czech economy at the next
chamber session. The government will thus be forced to announce steps
leading to the improvement of the present economic situation, some of
which will be very unpopular with voters. The government and the Finance
Ministry in particular were criticized by the opposition in Parliament
March 27. They were blamed for causing the economic crisis and the
8-billion-crown budget deficit. Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies and
the Social Democrats Milos Zeman called for the removal of Finance
Minister Ivan Kocarnik (Civic Democratic Party).
Kocarnik has proposed budget cuts (see Carolina 238). The annual
increase of public employees' salaries should not exceed 10 per cent,
a move which would include physicians and teachers as well. Leaders of
the junior coalition member Civic Democratic Alliance are thought to
agree with the measure, as Trade Minister Vladimir Dlouhy said he would
rather cut officials' salaries than money earmarked for supporting Czech
exports. As for the third coalition partner, the Christian Democrats
want to freeze public salaries for two years.
The government is considering an import duty, which would increase
the prices of foreign consumer and luxury goods. The only loud supporter
thus far of such a move is Christian Democrat Chairman and Agriculture
Minister Josef Lux. Top officials discussed the possibility of duties
with the International Monetary Fund mission which visited the Czech
Republic last week.
Lucie Vackova/Magdalena Vanova
Mail and Telephone Charges Increase
Starting April 1, mail and telecommunication charges in the Czech
Republic increased. Certain domestic postal rates rose by an average of
28 per cent. SPT Telecom has changed not only the price of one impulse
(from 2 crowns up to 2.25 crowns for domestic calls, and up to 3 crowns
in coin boxes) but also the basic monthly service charge for one phone
line (from 80 crowns to 90 crowns per month).
The postal service increased letter and postcard stamp prices by
one crown apiece (until now a letter stamp cost 3.60 crowns and
a postcard stamp cost 3 crowns). Also, international mail rates have
increased. Prices for correspondence to foreign countries increased by
an average of 5.8 per cent, though international package prices fell by
1.7 per cent.
Simona Malkovska/Denisa Vitkova
COMPANIES AND MARKETS
* Last week, the Prague Stock Exchange's PX 50 index started to steady
after its previous decline, and after trading April 1 it settled at
558.2 points. However, shareholders of some of the market's illiquid
firms will probably not be pleased by the decision to eliminate 392
titles from public trading. Sometime in June the end of trading should
come for another 400 rarely traded firms.
* Earnings of the biggest domestic banks have been reaching giddy
heights. For example, the Commerce Bank (Komercmi banka) reported
a nearly unbelievable 5.2-billion-crown profit, and thus can afford to
propose higher dividends than last year's 19 per cent. Rival Czech
Savings Bank (Ceska sporitelna) has to satisfy itself with only
a 1.9-billion-crown profit (which, however, means seven-fold growth for
the year), and it is planning a substantially higher dividend than last
year's 4 per cent as well.
* In contrast to its competitors, Union Bank has no reason to
celebrate; last year's books will probably end up in the red,
projections show a loss of about 450 million crowns. Union Bank,
however, invested massively last year, most publicly in swallowing up
Ekoagrobanka and Skala Bank.
* The Kavalier glassworks is trying to break through towards the East,
more accurately into Ukraine, where they have taken a quarter of the
Poltava company for medical glass production. Kavalier is planning to
gain a majority share there as soon as possible.
* Tatra Koprivnice, with its Pilsen-based management, seems to be
coming to life with its decision to establish assembly plants throughout
the world. The criterion might be each specific country's population,
because thus far Tatra has arranged cooperation with partners in India,
Russia and Brazil. Other significant outlets may be Arab countries,
which regularly buy Tatra army specials known from the Persian Gulf War.
Besides the United Arab Emirates, Yemen looks promising as well.
* The Investment and Postal Bank (Investicni a postovni banka) bought
a 6-per-cent share of brewery Plzensky Prazdroj (brewers of Pilsner
Urquell beer) from the Czech Savings Bank (Ceska sporitelna), and thus
increased its share to almost 18 per cent. It is interesting that IPB
representatives last week were as mysterious as a Transylvanian castle,
and refused to confirm the transaction.
Martin Cermak/Denisa Vitkova
Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank
(valid from April 4)
country currency
------------------------------------------
Australia 1 AUD 22.509
Belgium 100 BEF 83.462
Great Britain 1 GBP 47.299
Denmark 1 DKK 4.517
Finland 1 FIM 5.745
France 1 FRF 5.112
Ireland 1 IEP 45.478
Italy 1000 ITL 17.324
Japan 100 JPY 23.448
Canada 1 CAD 20.793
Luxemburg 100 LUF 83.462
Hungary 100 HUF 16.347
Netherlands 1 NLG 15.311
Norway 1 NOK 4.222
New Zealand 1 NZD 19.960
Poland 1 PLN 9.377
Portugal 100 PTE 17.141
Austria 1 ATS 2.448
Greece 100 GRD 10.872
Slovakia 100 SKK 87.757
Germany 1 DEM 17.230
Spain 100 ESP 20.351
Sweden 1 SEK 3.770
Switzerland 1 CHF 20.004
USA 1 USD 28.804
ECU 1 XEU 33.520
SDR 1 XDR 39.972
CULTURE
Renewed Premiere of Havel Play
Czech President Vaclav Havel's play The Increased Difficulty of
Concentration (Ztizena moznost soustredeni) opened again after almost
30 years in Prague's Theater on the Balustrade (Divadlo Na zabradli)
March 28. The drama is directed by Andrej Krob, Havel's "court"
director.
The title is appropriate for the plot. Several episodes from
a scientist's life are skillfully divided into short pieces, mixed and
then connected again into a disparate whole. Krob managed the difficult
material well and showed a feel for the style of Havel's plays.
Havel has been tied to the Prague theater since he began his career
as a playwright there, partly why The Increased Difficulty of
Concentration had its comeback there.
Vit Bartek/Magdalena Vanova
Punk Tornado in Prague's Sport Hall
Anxiously awaited by fans here, the group Offspring performed in
Prague's Sport Hall April 1 on their tour to support their new album
Ixnay on the Hombre.
Offspring, along with Green Day, are the most well-knwon members of
the neo-punk wave, a style tying itself to the punk music of the 70's.
The new bands, however, are often chided for their commerciality and
eagerness to please, which contrast with punk's original ideals as an
underground culture on the edge of society. The new bands also often
hear complaints for the absolute absence of musical originality in their
primitive three-chord tunes. They have, however, found millions of
worshipful fans around the planet (Offspring's breakthrough album Smash
sold eight million copies). Their concerts are also well-received thanks
to the sincere energy brimming from the American quartet.
Last week also saw two shows from Maceo Parker, the one-time
saxophonist for James Brown and now perhaps himself the hardest working
man in show business - even the second show took Parker and his six-man
band (including his rapper son Kareem) four-and-a-half hours to
complete. It marked Parker's third appearance in Prague's Lucerna Music
Bar in the last year.
Martin Cermak/Magdalena Vanova
SPORTS
After deadline: in a qualifying match for the 1998 World Championships
to be held in France, the Czech Republic lost to Yugoslavia 2:1 April
2 in Prague's Letna Stadium. The Czechs trailed 1:0 from the 27th
minute, but Bejbl tied it in the 75th minute. The visitors scored the
decisive goal in the game's last minute, and thus put the Czechs on the
verge of elimination.
Vsetin and Vitkovice in Hockey Extraleague Final
As expected, the Czech hockey extraleague final will match two-time
defending champion Vsetin against Vitkovice, which is undefeated in the
playoffs.
In the third semifinal match, Vsetin lost on Pardubice's ice 2-3 in
overtime, and Pardubice players then had a chance to even the series.
Vsetin, however, held them off and, thanks to three goals in 10 minutes,
advanced to the final for the third time in the three years it has
played in the extraleague.
Vitkovice got to the finals somewhat more easily. It defeated Sparta
in the third match and after a 4-2 win in game four, Vitkovice's players
shaved their heads. Sparta, one of the favorites, is left playing for
third place.
Zdenek Janda/Mirek Langer
Soccer League 21st Round Matches
Slavia Praha - Sparta Praha 1-1. In the prestigious intra-city
rivalry between the "Prague Ss," both goals were scored at the beginning
of the game. Slavia took the lead in the 4th minute, Sparta equalized
seven minutes later.
Bohemians Praha - Brno 1-1. Bohemians wanted to get out of last
place, but Brno's Zubek tied the score with six minutes to the finish.
Viktoria Zizkov - Olomouc 1-0. Viktoria played offensive soccer with
fast breaks and the three points it gained for the victory helped it to
move farther from last place.
Ostrava - Liberec 0-0. Ostrava's players put Liberec under pressure
the whole game, but could not convert that into a goal.
Plzen - Drnovice 2-1. Janota's goal determined the winner of
a not-so-pretty match two minutes before the end.
Hradec Kralove - Teplice 1-0. Kaplan scored in the second half and
this first spring win moved Hradec out of second-to-last place.
Jablonec - Karvina 1-0. Jablonec tied Sparta in the standings and
only Karvina's good defense kept them from scoring more.
Opava - Ceske Budejovice 1-1. Neighbors from the middle of the
standings played a dramatic match, in which Opava scored twice, though
once into its own net.
Roman Jedlicka/Mirek Langer
SPORTS IN BRIEF
* The Czech national hockey B-team lost in the finals of the Cabot Cup
to Canada 0-6, after beating Germany 6-2 and Canada 3-0 earlier.
* The Czech national under-21 soccer team lost in a qualifying match
for the European Championships to Yugoslavia 0-1 (halftime 0-1) and its
chances to advance are purely theoretical.
Zdenek Janda/Mirek Langer
WEATHER
Last week's weather was influenced by an influx of high pressure
into central Europe. Its impact was discernible not only in the climate
but also in the Chamber of Deputies, where emotions rose during Minister
of Finance Ivan Kocarnik's report on the budget deficit. In contrast to
the hot parliamentary atmosphere, spring is developing sluggishly with
temperatures not yet exceeding 15 degrees Celsius/60 degrees Fahrenheit.
The high pressure system was preceded by gales of nearly 200 kilometers
per hour/120 miles per hour March 28. This windstorm moved cars, snapped
telephone poles and trees and caused the death of two people.
Ondra Provaznik/Milan Smid
Dear Readers, the item about the end of the Prague public transportation
is not true. Actually, we made it up. Happy April Fools' Day.
English version edited by Michael Bluhm
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