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Carolina (English) No 261
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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 261, Friday, October 17, 1997.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (October 8 - 15)
Klaus and Meciar Meet
The meeting between Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus and Slovak
Premier Vladimir Meciar in Piestany, Slovakia was touted in the Czech
press as a historical event. These were the first bilateral talks
between the counterparts in more than four years. The meeting resulted
in a declaration to agree by the end of the year on the exchange of
federal property, to be conducted by two banks; the Czech Commerce Bank
(Komercni banka) and the Slovak General Credit Bank (Vseobecna uverova
banka). In the context of the agreement, Prague will turn over more than
four tons of Slovak gold by January.
However, no answers were found for any of the other debt issues
between the two countries, such as Slovakia's debt to the Czech Republic
of 24 million crowns. Although there were no specific breakthroughs in
the property issues, other areas of discussion were more successful.
Meciar and Klaus support the customs union and signed three agreements
to support and protect investment, air traffic, and healthcare. Klaus
also spoke in support of the Slovak Republic's efforts to join the EU
and NATO.
Ales Bartl/Andrea Snyder
Hungarian President in Prague
Hungarian President Arpad Goncz met with Czech political leaders to
discuss closer cooperation between Prague and Budapest, a strategy that
would allow the countries to better push common interests in NATO and
the EU.
Goncz's three-day visit to Prague, which began October 13, was his
first in four years. He met with President Vaclav Havel, Senate Chairman
Petr Pithart and Parliament Chairman Milos Zeman.
Jana Ciglerova/Andrea Snyder
Defense Ministers Support NATO Entry
Czech Minister of Defense Miloslav Vyborny met with Hungarian
counterpart Gyorg Keleti and the Polish Defense Minister's First Deputy
Andrzej Karkoszka October 11 in Komorni Hradek u Benesova, near Prague.
They confidently discussed their respective countries' NATO membership
and see no problems with ratification of the acceptance of new members
in the parliaments of individual NATO countries. The defense leaders of
all three countries invited to join NATO agree on the necessity to
intensify cooperation with Eastern Europe, especially with Romania,
Slovenia, Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic states and Slovakia.
Eva Fronkova/Andrea Snyder
Security Policies and the Battle against Illegal Migration
Illegal migration and crime were the main topics at a two-day
conference held October 14-15 by the Interior Ministry in Prague.
Speakers gathered from nearly all of Europe, the United States,
Australia and Canada. In 1996 alone, 20,000 illegal border crossings
were documented in the Czech Republic. Three thousand of them were
assisted by professional border-crossing guides, a new development in
the words of Interior Minister Jan Ruml, who called upon neighboring
countries for cooperation.
Although Canada's recent decision to reinstate visa requirements for
Czechs is cause for lament, the Czech Interior Ministry recommends that
visa requirements be reinstated for citizens of the former Soviet Union
and southeastern Europe. They cite security interests as the reason. The
Trade Ministry and the Foreign Ministry are less aggressive, and point
out the Czech Republic's political and business interests. Prime
Minister Vaclav Klaus said the proposal is being carefully reviewed.
Katerina Murlova/Andrea Snyder
Havel Says Czech Republic Entering Europe More Slowly Than Others
At the October 11 European Council summit, President Vaclav Havel
criticized the Czech Republic's pace in approaching Euro-Atlantic
standards. Havel said Czech laws lag far behind European legislation,
despite the country's efforts to join NATO and the EU.
The Czech Republic has ratified 39 European Council norms, while
neighboring countries have managed 40 to 50, some more. According to
Havel, this overlap demonstrates the country's situation. The president
said that in the rush of managing everyday practical problems, the Czech
Republic has lost sign of the meaning of the most important and
elementary values, from which everything else develops.
Ludvik Pospisil/Denisa Vitkova
Klaus and Havel Talk about Czech Entry into NATO
At an October 8 meeting with Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, President
Vaclav Havel admitted his fears that the Czech Republic's membership in
NATO will be delayed by the army's unsatisfactory condition. They
concurred that personnel changes in Defense Ministry leadership are
necessary.
"I think if any changes should be made, they should be made once,
and we should not have the public nervous and in suspense with slow and
lazy changes", said Havel in the October 9 edition of daily MF DNES.
Another criterion which will decide the country's entry to NATO is
public support, which hovers at just more than 50 per cent.
However, the sociologist Ivan Gabal said for the daily that "NATO
will accept us foremost for political reasons and in spite of the
army's pathetic situation and the country's ability to defend itself."
Lenka Jindrlova/Denisa Vitkova
Probable Escape from Punishment for Former Communist Leadership
The last of former Communist officials accused of treason, Karel
Hoffmann, was found innocent by the High Court. In August 1968, after
the invasion of Warsaw Pact armies, as director of the Central
Communications Administration it was Hoffmann who discontinued all
broadcasting.
Eleven people have been accused of treason in connection with the
1968 invasion. The prosecution of Karel Hoffmann, Milos Jakes, Jozef
Lenart and General Rusov was stopped, and Jan Piller died in 1995. The
other six accused, secret police agents who collaborated with invaders,
were found innocent in August.
The possibility of opening a new case against them is seen by some
in the 1993 decision of the Constitutional Court, which confirmed the
Anti-Communist Act. That law enables an extension of the 20-year statute
of limitations if charges of treason could not have been investigated
because of the political situation.
Gabriela Podzimkova/Gabriela Pecic
Supreme Court: Attacking Romanies Is Racism
The Supreme Court decided October 13 that anti-Romany (Gypsy)
attacks are race-based. The court received the case after a complaint
from Justice Minister Vlasta Parkanova lodged against the June verdict
of District Court in Hradec Kralove. District Judge Perina let off two
skinheads accused under strict anti-racist laws of threatening a group
of Romany children, his argument being that racism was impossible
because Czechs and Romanies are Indo-European races. The verdict aroused
an enormous wave of protest from lawyers and ethnologists. They call the
Supreme Court verdict a precedent for similar future cases.
Jakub Svab/Nora Novakova
ODA Poll Preference Drops below 5 Per Cent
With a voter preference of 4 per cent, the governing coalition
member Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA) could be left out of the next
Parliament (Czech voting laws set a 5-per-cent minimum for
representation in Parliament). According to October's polls taken by the
Institute for Public Opinion Research (IVVM), the opposition Social
Democrats finished first with 26 per cent, followed by the ruling Civic
Democratic Party with 20 percent. Compared to the previous poll, support
for Communists has risen from 6.5 per cent to 8.5 per cent, while the
Christian Democrats slipped from 12 per cent to 10 per cent. The
popularity of the neo-Fascist Republican remains unchanged at 4.5 per
cent. IVVM analyst Pavel Simonik, referring to ODA's 4 per cent, said it
is the logical result of bitter disagreements, encouraged by the media,
within the smallest parliamentary party.
Lenka Vochocova/Sofia Karakeva
Havel Accepts Cino del Duca Price
On October 9 President Vaclav Havel received the international Cino
del Duca Prize in the Elysees Palace in Paris. French President Jacques
Chirac said Havel received the prize not only as a playwright but that
the prize was an homage to his courage, intelligence and spiritual
strength.
The prize, named for an Italian publisher, has been awarded since
1969 to persons whose scientific or literary work reflects the message
of modern humanism.
Pedro Afanador/Veronika Machova
First Lady Cancels Long-Planned Trip to Taiwan
First Lady Dagmar Havlova's biggest foreign trip was unexpectedly
canceled October 8. Havlova was to spend a week in Taiwan, from October
19-26. The journey, planned since May, was aborted at the last minute
without any explanation.
Czech daily Lidove noviny, which broke the story, cited a Chinese
diplomat in Prague, who said the political dimension of Havlova's visit
does not contribute to economic relations.
Jana Ciglerova/Veronika Machova
FROM SLOVAKIA
Radio Twist Broadcasting Forcibly Interrupted
The broadcasting of Radio Twist suddenly stopped on the afternoon of
October 13. Shortly thereafter a fax arrived at the Bratislava station
declaring Slovak Telecommunications' (ST) withdrawal from its contract
with Twist. The fax was signed by Gabriel Szanto, director of
Radiotelecommunication. The fax cited Twist's non-fulfillment of the
contract as the reason for withdrawal, despite the fact that Twist had
fulfilled the contract properly. Broadcasting was renewed the next day.
Because Radio Twist opposes the government, its general manager
Andrej Hryc considered the interruption a political act. "The management
and owners of Radio Twist consider ST's move a gross breach of contract
and a serious breach in the system of plurality in Slovakia," he said in
an interview for the daily Pravda.
According to the SITA agency, many private radio station broadcasts
have been interrupted, such as Radio Rebeka in Martin, or N Radio in
Nitra. Although the greatest debtors to ST are Slovak Radio and Slovak
Television, both still state-owned, they have not been threatened with
sanctions.
Paula Majerova/Ajla Zinhasovic
ECONOMY
September Inflation at 10.3 per cent
The highest inflation rate in the last two years was recorded in
September - 10.3 per cent from the same period last year. One year ago
Czech economists still supposed that inflation was going to decrease
continuously by 1 per cent yearly, and in May the inflation rate dropped
to a record low of 6.3 per cent. The reversal came with the deregulation
of trading with the Czech crown in May, and with the July partial
deregulation of rents and energy prices.
Some economists think positive prospects for the Czech crown lie in
quick deregulation of the remaining regulated prices, after which
a one-time, steep inflation increase would likely be followed by a more
rapid and controllable decrease in inflation.
Jaroslav Mares/Milan Smid
Czech Privatization Is Half-Baked, Study Says
The Czech economy is lacking bankruptcies, a transparent capital
market and thoroughly and well privatized industrial and banking
sectors. That is the conclusion of an in-house study on privatization in
Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic made by the North Atlantic
Assembly, and published by Czech media October 14. The Czech Republic
was judged the worst of these three countries in the study. The main
point is that Czech enterprises have not been restructured yet. The
non-transparency of the Czech capital market caused last year's exodus
of foreign investors, the study said. The NATO parliamentary assembly is
of the opinion that in the Czech Republic a large number of inefficient
companies are being preserved because of a policy of maintaining low
unemployment rate and the absence of bankruptcies.
Jaroslav Mares/Milan Smid
National Power Buys almost Half of Opatovice Power
National Power, the biggest producer of electricity on the British
Isles, entered the Czech market with the purchase of almost half of the
shares of Opatovice Power Stations (Elektrarny Opatovice). Opatovice
Power is the most important independent power producer in the country.
The British company beat out nine rival firms, including the giant CEZ
(Czech Energy Company). According to Commerce Bank (Komercni banka)
spokeswoman Irena Satavova, the purchase of 48 per cent of Opatovice
Power, which cost National Power 5.3 billion crowns, is the largest
British investment in the Czech Republic.
Experts said the British firm is building a base for further
acquisitions in the Czech power industry. It is expected that
energy-price increases - full deregulation is not yet a reality - will
attract more foreign investors.
Tomas Mls/Veronika Machova
Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank
(valid from October 17)
country currency
------------------------------------------
Australia 1 AUD 23.978
Belgium 100 BEF 90.417
Great Britain1 1 GBP 52.748
Denmark 1 DKK 4.895
Finland 1 FIM 6.213
France 1 FRF 5.563
Ireland 1 IEP 47.892
Italy 1000 ITL 19.069
Japan 100 JPY 27.007
Canada 1 CAD 23.448
Luxemburg 100 LUF 90.417
Hungary 100 HUF 16.723
Netherlands 1 NLG 16.558
Norway 1 NOK 4.618
New Zealand 1 NZD 20.971
Poland 1 PLN 9.598
Portugal 100 PTE 18.315
Austria 1 ATS 2.650
Greece 100 GRD 11.854
Slovakia 100 SKK 97.291
Germany 1 DEM 18.650
Spain 100 ESP 22.111
Sweden 1 SEK 4.303
Switzerland 1 CHF 22.352
USA 1 USD 32.556
ECU 1 XEU 36.593
SDR 1 XDR 44.557
CULTURE
Dog Swimming through a Flooded Street Wins Czech Press Photo 97 Prize
The picture Dog Swimming through a Flooded Street from Petr Josek,
taken by the Reuters photographer in Uherske Hradiste during July's
floods, has been named photo of the year. The international committee,
headed by photographer Andrej Reiser, awarded prizes in 16 categories.
Josek's photo of the year also won the recent event category.
The Prague Grant was awarded to Karel Kuklik. His task for the next
year will be to picture disappearing and continually changing Prague.
There were 202 Czech and Slovak authors in the competition, submitting
2,554 pictures. The best pictures will be on exhibit in the Cross
Corridor and the Knight's Hall in the Old Town Hall from November 13
till December 31.
Erik Tabery/Ivona Pulkrabkova
Jaroslav Seifert Prize to Karel Milota
The 1997 edition of the prestigious Jaroslav Seifert Prize was given
October 14 to 60-year-old poet, writer, translator and critic Karel
Milota. He acquired the prize for his prose work The Devil's House
(Dabluv dum) and for his collection of poems Anthologies or Counterpoint
(Antologie aneb Protislovi).
The decision of the nine-member committee, with Vladimir Karfik at
its head, was considered surprising. The result praises a work which was
not given public interest in accordance with its quality and importance.
The Jaroslav Seifert Prize, named for the Czech Nobel laureate, has
been awarded by the Charter 77 Foundation since 1986 and among its
winners are Ludvik Vaculik, Jiri Kolar, Bohumil Hrabal and Milan
Kundera. Since 1993 the literary honor has been sponsored by the bank
Zivnostenska banka with a 250,000-crown award for the winner.
Petr Bilek Jr./Ivona Pulkrabkova
Bauhaus in Prague
The exhibit Wiemar Bauhaus and the European Avantgarde 1919-1925,
part of the fall project Culture of Thuringen, opened in the House of
the Black Madonna in Prague October 2. The largest exhibition yet of the
famed art school's early era is presented on three floors of the
building. Visitors can see over 200 pieces, not only from the Bauhaus
movement but also from similar movements, such as the Slovak Kosice
movement or the Dutch De Stijl.
Pavel Turek/Veronika Machova
American Dance Theater Performs in Prague and Brno
The American Dance Theater ended its visit to the Czech Republic
with a performance in Brno October 12. The ensemble represents the cream
of modern dance and has been led by Judith Jamison since the death of
troupe founder Alvin Ailey in 1989. It was the second time the ensemble
visited the Czech Republic, 18 years after their premiere here. Jamison
said the dancers were impressed by the warm welcome and lovely
architecture of Prague, where they also performed.
Ailey's followers combine the Afro-American tradition with modern
dance, using musical styles from classical to jazz. Duke Ellington,
Wynton Marsalis, Peter Gabriel and Laurie Anderson can be heard during
a performance.
Petr Bilek Jr./Matej Cerny
Courtney Pine's Second Great Show in 1997
British saxophonist Courtney Pine packed Prague's Lucerna Music Bar
to capacity October 8 for the second time this year. He played older
songs and compositions from his latest album, Underground, released less
than three months ago. Pine's show, mixing hip hop and jazz, was again
extraordinary and stirring.
Pine played to the crowd during his superb solos. Walking among the
audience while soloing, playing without holding the saxophone, hands
raised above his head, call-and-response with the crowd were just a few
of his tricks. Altogether the show was artistically successful and also
flamboyant - certainly a part of jazz.
Pine's final thanks to those who came was a wish that jazz, hip hop
and drum'n'bass should all get more respect and publicity (not excluding
internet weeklies).
Tomas Mls/Matej Cerny
MIB Invade Prague
A bombastic public relations campaign took place in Prague before
the premiere of Hollywood blockbuster Men in Black October 8. Not only
was it easy to get free tickets for wearing black suits (or
face-paint), but the whole city was full of men in black passing out
Mars bars and advertising material. The campaign was carried out
exhaustively in newspapers (including the daily Metro distributed free
in the subway), on the radio and on billboards as well. The extent of
the campaign was a precedent for the Czech Republic.
Karolina Kucerova/Sofia Karakeva
SPORTS
Qualification for 1998 World Cup: Czechs Defeat Slovakia 3:0
The Czech national soccer team defeated Slovakia 3:0 in Prague
October 11 in its last qualification match for the 1998 World Cup in
France. The Czechs finished tied with Slovakia for third in the sixth
qualification group, behind Spain and Yugoslavia. While the Spaniards
advanced directly to the final competition in France, the Yugoslav side
will have to try to outdo rival Hungary in two playoff matches.
The home team wanted to repair the bad impression left after its
unsuccessful performance in the World Cup qualification. However, only
the second half satisfied the quiet audience of about 5,000, with three
goals scored by Smicer (54th minute), Siegl (70th) and Novotny (74th).
Final standing of the sixth qualification group: 1. Spain 26 points,
2. Yugoslavia 23, 3. Czech Republic 16, 4. Slovakia 16, 5. Faroes
Islands 6, 6. Malta, 0.
David Kozohorsky/David Kozohorsky
Jockey Vana Triumphant in Great Pardubice Steeplechase for Fifth Time
Vronsky, ridden by the jockey Vana, had won by the half-way point
October 12 one of the most demanding steeplechases in Europe, the Great
Pardubice (Velka Pardubicka). The winner of the 107th running won the
1.12-million-crown prize. Vana won the race in the years 1987-89 and
1991 in the saddle of the legendary horse Zeleznik.
Only two horses finished their race at the most feared hurdle
- Taxis ditch. The whole event occured in a peaceful mood - there was no
animal-rights demonstration as in previous years, but also the number of
spectators was lower than in the past.
Jiri Zizka/David Kozohorsky
SPORTS IN BRIEF
* Sparta was stunningly defeated October 14 in the 2nd round of the
Czech-Moravian Football Union Cup in Mlada Boleslav 0:1 by the local
Czech Football League entry (the league is two leagues below Sparta's
premier league). Other top-league members failed to make the next round
- Hradec Kralove has lost in a shootout to Chrudim and Olomouc was
unable to stop Krnov.
* The October 12 Terry Fox Run, held around Prague's Strahov
dormitories, attracted 3,652 participants, contributing 240,000 crowns
to the fight against cancer. Prague joined 53 other Czech cities which
held the run in memory of the young Canadian, who succumbed to the
disease after memorable runs.
Jiri Polak/Nora Novakova
WEATHER
Indian summer is gone for good. Last week the weather was still
quite warm with a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius/68 degrees
Fahrenheit, with the sun shining in a blue sky. Over the weekend,
however, it started raining again and daytime temperatures were about
10 degrees Celsius/50 degrees Fahrenheit. In the mountains the first
snowfall is expected soon (after deadline: it fell October 15). Those
from warmer regions who are planning a visit to Prague better wait for
better weather.
Karolina Kucerova/Sofia Karakeva
English version edited by Michael Bluhm
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