Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Carolina (English) No 281
CCCCC AA RRRRR OOOO LL II NN N AA
CC AA A RR R OO O LL II NNN N AA A
CC AA A RRRRR OO O LL II NN N N AA A
CC AAAAAA RR R OO O LL II NN NN AAAAAA
CCCCC AA A RR R OOOO LLLLLL II NN N AA A
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 281, Friday, March 20, 1998.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (March 11-18)
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS
Government Decides to Raise Rents and Energy Prices
The Cabinet March 11 approved increases of 24 per cent for
household electricity rates, and 27 per cent for gas and
state-controlled rents. Rents will vary according to the size of the
city; in Prague rents might jump as high as 41 per cent.
The partial deregulation had sparked a great deal of discussion.
The increases are less than those proposed by former Prime Minister
Vaclav Klaus' government, although several ministers say they would have
supported even greater reductions. Christian Democrat Agriculture
Minister Josef Lux, who proposed a 20-per-cent increase in electricity
rates, said he was not satisfied with the decision but would respect it
just as will Trade Minister Karel Kuhnl, who supported 30-per-cent
increases.
Although pensions and other social supports will increase by an
average of 400 crowns monthly with the price boosts, the unions have
been making themselves heard. Union leader Richard Falbr said unions
must re-open wage talks this year. Falbr said the price increases betray
government-union deals from the Klaus' era.
The opposition Social Democrats disagreed with the government's
decision. The party's shadow labor minister, Vladimir Spidla, said what
the party can do to overturn the decision depends on its showing in the
June elections.
On a March 15 discussion program of TV Nova "Seven or seven days",
Social Democrat Parliament deputy Lubomir Zaoralek said the price
increases merely serve to boost the state budget through the taxes of
monopoly suppliers. He said wages at state-controlled, monopoly energy
distributor Czech Energy Company (CEZ), at an average wage of l8,000
crowns per month, nearly double the average wage. Also, he said that
price increases will serve to subsidize completion of the controversial
nuclear power plant Temelin.
Czech National Bank Governor Pavel Kysilka said his bank had
recommended the state first approve a general energy policy before
taking such a step. The central bank said that because of the inflation
which might accompany the increases it might have to increase interest
rates again, which would only serve to slow growth.
Jakub Svab/Andrea Snyder
Tosovsky Communist Party Member for 14 Years
Czech weekly magazine Tyden reported that Prime Minister Josef
Tosovsky was a Communist Party member until 1989. He joined the party
three years after he joined the Czech National Bank. Tyden pointed ut
the fact that none of his biographical clips include this information.
Tosovsky said he thought his membership was public knowledge, and that
he never did predominantly political work.
Government minister Vladimir Mlynar, who, as a former journalist,
knew of Tosovsky's party background, said the government did not include
the information because it used his biography from the Czech National
Bank. The central bank said it followed examples of other bank
governors, which never discussed political activities.
Party leaders Vaclav Klaus (Civic Democratic Party), Josef Lux
(Christian Democrats) and Milos Zeman (Social Democrats) said the issue
is not cause for resignation.
Erik Tabery/Andrea Snyder
Social Democrat Funding Scandal
A Czech television program revealed a document which showed that
Social Democrat (CSSD) Chairman Milos Zeman and former Vice Chairman
Karel Machovec offered Czech-Swiss businessmen the opportunity to
influence political decisions for a campaign donation of 20 million
Swiss francs to 30 million francs. Former CSSD Parliament deputy
Jaroslav Vlcek was to have arranged the deal. Jan Vizek, one of the
businessmen, sent the document to the television station.
Although Zeman first called the entire thing a lie, Machovec said
he remembers Zeman and Vlcek signing a memorandum. He said, however, the
television copy of the document is false, and that the signatures are
not original. Vlcek denies CSSD members signed this or a similar
document.
Zeman submitted related documents to Interior Minister Cyril
Svoboda and said he had thrown out of his office Vizek and Vizek's
proposed memorandum. The intelligence service may investigate the case.
Erik Tabery/Andrea Snyder
Freedom Union Gets Voters from ODS and ODA
The three-month-old Freedom Union (US) has gained the sympathy of
18 per cent of voter-preference poll respondents and has become the
second-most popular party after Parliament Chairman Milos Zeman's Social
Democrats (CSSD), which still lead with 29.5 per cent support. The Civic
Democratic Party (ODS) has stabilized at 11 per cent, the Christian
Democrats (KDU-CSL) are at 9 per cent and the Civic Democratic Alliance
(ODA), with 1 per cent, would not today make it into Parliament. The
Communists are up to 9 per cent and Miroslav Sladek's neo-fascist
Republicans have improved to 8 per cent. The poll results were released
March 14 by the Center for Empirical Research (STEM).
Freedom Union Chairman Jan Ruml said, "I feel that it still has to
do with some expectations and it does not totally reflect the political
situation." STEM's poll gave the Freedom Union 5 per cent more than the
poll of the Institute for Public Opinion Research (IVVM), and it also
affirmed the support for the Social Democrats, who had shown
a 4-per-cent decline in IVVM's poll.
The encouraging poll results for the Freedom Union opened a new wave
of discussions over possible post-election coalitions. The Freedom Union
is calling on other right-wing parties to look for common ground, and it
is also open to cooperation with ODS. Zeman rejects any coalition with
Ruml's Freedom Union because he said he considers the party a mere
spinoff of ODS. ODS is prepared to join a post-election coalition with
the Christian Democrats, but without their chairman, Agriculture
Minister Josef Lux. ODS Chairman Vaclav Klaus said, "If this cooperation
would mean cooperating directly with Mr. Lux, that is a different
question." Although ODA has lost many of its politicians and has 1 per
cent support in the polls, it plans to take part in the elections alone
and with a new program, though it does not rule out a coalition with
a like-minded party.
Anna Kavada/Sofia Karakeva
NEWS IN BRIEF
* Support for Czech NATO membership is increasing. According to the
latest polls, 55.3 per cent of respondents agree with NATO membership.
* Twenty-eight per cent of poll respondents are convinced they live
better now than they lived under Communism.
Ondrej Hanzal/Gabriela Pecic
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Havel Attends UN Meeting in Geneva
President Vaclav Havel attended the 54th meeting of the UN Human
Rights Commission in Geneva March 16. After the opening speech of UN
General Secretary Kofi Annan, the Czech president had the honor to
present his speech first from the 53 represented member countries.
Havel said in his speech that a politician is always confronted
with conflict between human rights and economic and political interests.
He said economists often think that a "small disregard for human rights"
can bring big profits. "This is not true, and they do not even see the
tip of their own nose. The suppression of human rights leads, as our
country experienced, also to economic decline," said Havel.
David Kozohorsky/Sofia Karakeva
Tosovsky Helps Establish European Conference in London
Representatives of 26 countries from the EU and the former Eastern
Bloc met in London March 12 to declare war against the distribution of
drugs and to discuss the environment. For this purpose, the European
conference was established, and from now on European problems should be
resolved at its standing discussion forum.
One of the first discussion topics was organized crime in Eastern
Europe. Czech Prime Minister Josef Tosovsky said after the conference,
"The Czech Republic and other Central and Eastern European countries are
a little bit predisposed to the nesting of organized crime. These
countries were closed, and now their borders have opened. Just in the
Czech Republic, we have 10 times more visitors annually than we have
citizens ... Organized groups engaged in drugs and weapons trafficking,
car and art thefts and money laundering are operating in our country."
The first stir occurred after the absence of Turkey was announced.
Turkey was not placed among the frontrunners for EU membership and
decided to boycott the conference.
David Kozohorsky/Denisa Vitkova
Former Dissident Becomes UN Correspondent
Jiri Dienstbier, former foreign minister of Czechoslovakia, became
the UN's special correspondent for the countries of the former
Yugoslavia. His task will be to verify the upholding of human rights in
Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia, including the troubled southern
province of Kosovo. Dienstbier, who also served as chairman of the
Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe, will replace
Elisabeth Rehn, the former defense minister of Finland.
The well-known Czech dissident Dienstbier signed Charter 77 and
after the events of 1989 became a leader of the ruling Civic Movement
(OH) and then led the unsuccessful coalition of the Free Democrats and
the Liberal Social National Party (SD-LSNS).
Anna Kadavova/Matej Cerny
FROM SLOVAKIA
Meciar Rejects Havel's Criticism of Slovakia and Questions Havel's Rule
"The way in which the election of President Havel was conducted has
raised doubts on our side, because the vote was decided by a single
vote," said Slovak Premier Vladimir at a press conference after the
European Conference in London. "The bearer of this vote was kept in
prison at the time of the election and released afterwards. Had it
happened in Slovakia, what kind of response would it evoke?" asked
Meciar.
His statement was underlined by the vice chairwoman of the
government coalition Slovak National Party (SNS), who said on the
following day that Havel has no moral right to deliver such harsh
criticism of Slovakia in connection with decisions made by Meciar after
his government received certain presidential powers (See Carolina 279,
280).
Pavel Turek/Ivona Pulkrabkova
Actor Jozef Kroner Dies
In the morning hours of March 12 actor Jozef Kroner died, eight days
before his 74th birthday. One of the most significant Slovak actors,
Kroner succumbed to a grave illness.
From his amateur beginnings and his first lasting engagement, in
Martin after 1948, he was well known, particularly for his roles as old
men. On the stage of the Slovak National Theatre and in film he
presented many unforgettable roles. Kroner worked with Juraj Jakubisko
(The Thousand-Year-Old Bee) and the team of Jan Kadar and Elmar Klos in
their Oscar-winning A Store on the Boulevard (Obchod na korze), where
Kroner unforgettably played the lead role of Brtka.
Pavel Turek/Gabriela Pecic
Slovak Ice Hockey Federation Chairman Dusan Pasek Found Dead
Dusan Pasek, former captain of the Czechoslovak hockey team and
member of the 1985 World Championships winners who had been serving
since December 1 as chairman of the Slovak ice hockey federation, was
found dead in his office on the morning of March 15, shot through the
head. Because police found the gun close to the body as well as farewell
letters, the public was informed that the 37-year-old Pasek committed
suicide. Possible motives could have been relationship problems,
business failures or perhaps a role in privatization scandals, according
to the March 16 edition of Czech daily Lidove noviny. The last motive
was raised in connection with Pasek's dealings with Slovak National
Assembly Chairman Ivan Gasparovic (Movement for a Democratic Slovakia,
HZDS).
Former teammate Jiri Hrdina said, "I thought that he was
a self-confident and balanced person who had a career ahead of him."
Milan Eisenhammer/Ajla Zinhasovic
ECONOMY
European Union Retaliates
The European Union's Council of Ministers March 17 abolished
customs privileges on the import of pork, chicken and fruit juices from
the Czech Republic. The customs duties on these product had been 20 per
cent of the usual rate for pork and chicken and 48 per cent of the rate
for fruit juices. The action was taken in retaliation for the Czech
quota on the import of EU apples.
Agriculture Minister Josef Lux (Christian Democratic) said,
"considering the extent of the damage to the Czech market and the
growers and processers of apples, it was a forced move to protect the
market. The EU sanctions are, however, inappropriate and unjust." Trade
Minister Karel Kuhnl (former Civic Democratic Alliance member now
cooperating with the Freedom Union) said, "What the EU intends to do is
completely inadequate, because the dramatically increased import of
apples into our country truly affected our producers, while the imports
in question from our country to the EU do not affect the EU market at
all."
Both sides maintain their positions and say even from the point of
view of the EU Maastricht Treaty their actions are appropriate. Czech
ambassador to the EU Josef Kreuter said "the EU's move could be
expected, despite being inappropriate." According to Kreuter, the EU
adopted a position used in acute crises.
Prokop Havel/Matej Cerny
Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank
(valid from March 20)
country currency
------------------------------------------
Australia 1 AUD 22.592
Belgium 100 BEF 90.167
Great Britain 1 GBP 56.673
Denmark 1 DKK 4.879
ECU 1 XEU 36.927
Finland 1 FIM 6.130
France 1 FRF 5.555
Ireland 1 IEP 46.677
Italy 1000 ITL 18.882
Japan 100 JPY 26.196
Canada 1 CAD 23.995
Luxemburg 100 LUF 90.167
IMF 1 XDR 45.720
Hungary 100 HUF 16.120
Netherlands 1 NLG 16.504
Norway 1 NOK 4.475
New Zealand 1 NZD 19.201
Poland 1 PLN 9.853
Portugal 100 PTE 18.178
Austria 1 ATS 2.644
Greece 100 GRD 10.526
Germany 1 DEM 18.600
Slovakia 100 SKK 96.735
Slovenia 100 SIT 19.923
Spain 100 ESP 21.924
Sweden 1 SEK 4.273
Switzerland 1 CHF 22.812
USA 1 USD 34.011
CULTURE
Theater Critics Give Awards for 1997
The Alfred Radok Award for the best staging of the year and the
attendant laurel wreath were given to Petr Lebl from Prague's Theater on
the Balustrade (Divadlo na zabradli) for Anton Chekhov's Ivanov. Lebl
received the trophy for the second time (the first time in 1994 for
Chekhov's The Seagull). Culture Minister Martin Stropnicky presented the
award and he delighted the audience with an improvised rendition of the
song Cajdak, accompanied by his former colleagues, the actors Jan Jiran
and Marek Eben. The sixth-annual ceremony took place March 13 in
Prague's Ypsilon Theater.
The award for best actress was given to Lucie Trmikova for her role
in the drama Terezka in Prague's Comedy Theater (Divadlo Komedie);
Terezka also was voted drama of the year. The award for the best actor
was given to Miroslav Taborsky for his performance in The End of
Carnival in Prague's Dlouha Street Theater (Divadlo v Dlouhe). Theater
on the Balustrade was voted theater troupe of the year. Josef Svoboda
received an award for his scenery for Faust, directed by Otomar Krejca
in the National Theater in Prague.
A sixth award was given in a new category, other artistic
performance, and went posthumously to Jiri Bulis for the music in Arnost
Goldflam's The Cursed (Proklatec). This year there was no award given
for talent of the year, although critics voted Petra Spalkova, of
Prague's Drama Club (Cinoherni klub), as the year's top performer. The
pearl of the night was the award for the best actor in a female role,
given to Jiri Pecha for playing the grandmother in Bozena Nemcova's
Grandmother, staged by the Goose on a Leash Theater (Divadlo Husa na
provazku).
Forty-three original plays competed for the last trophy - the
Alfred Radok Foundation's award for best play. The award was given to
Jiri Pokorny, director of the Drama Studio (Cinoherni studio) in Usti
nad Labem, for his drama Daddy Shoots Goals (Tatka strili goly).
Karolina Kucerova/Denisa Vitkova
SPORTS
Paralympic Athletes Bring Home Seven Medals
Visually disabled skier Katerina Tepla brought home three gold
medals and one silver from the Nagano Paralympic Games. After wins in
the giant slalom and super-G and a second place in the downhill, Tepla
won the slalom race despite having to ski the last five gates of the
first round alone after a mistake by her father and guide Pavel Teply.
Like in the giant slalom, Czech Sabina Rogie finished second with her
guide Michal Karasek.
After the Czech athletes arrived home from the Nagano Paralympics,
they were invited by President Vaclav Havel just like their colleagues
from the Nagano Olympics. All six athletes received presidential
commemorative medals just like gold ice-hockey players and skier
Katerina Neumannova before. "I am much more proud of you and the medals
you brought because you had to overcome yourself to win them. You are
examples for all the rest of us," Havel said.
Gabriela Podzimkova and David Kozohorsky/Mirek Langer
Hockey: Pardubice and Slavia Fill out Eight Teams in Playoffs
The hockey extraleague regular season finished with an exciting
fight to make the playoffs. In the 50th round, Slavia Praha maintained
its seventh-place standing with a tie in Vsetin. Pardubice then moved
into eighth place, the final spot for advancing into the playoffs, by
defeating Plzen. David Moravec of Vitkovice tallied the most points for
the regular season. For the first time in the independent Czech league,
an average of more than 5,000 fans attended every game. Nagano Olympics
medalist and Slavia Praha forward Vladimir Ruzicka finished a year full
of records, recording his 400th goal in league, his 500th goal in league
and national team matches and his 600th match in league.
Results of the 50th round: Pardubice - Litvinov 3-2, Kladno - Ceske
Budejovice 1-4, Plzen - Opava 2-2, Vitkovice - Karlovy Vary 4-2, Trinec
- Jihlava 3-3, Sparta Praha - Zlin 4-2, Vsetin - Slavia Praha 5-5.
Results of the 51st round: Zlin - Vsetin 1-5, Litvinov - Sparta
Praha 3-0, Opava - Pardubice 3-1, Karlovy Vary - Jihlava 2-4, Slavia
Praha - Kladno 6-1, Ceske Budejovice - Vitkovice 1-4, Plzen - Trinec
4-6.
Results of the 52nd round: Pardubice - Plzen 5-2, Jihlava - Ceske
Budejovice 5-2, Vsetin - Litvinov 4-2, Vitkovice - Slavia Praha 6-4,
Trinec - Karlovy Vary 7-6, Kladno - Zlin 4-3, Sparta Praha - Opava 5-1.
Standings: 1. HC Petra Vsetin 72 pts.
2. HC Vitkovice 69 pts.
3. HC Zelezarny Trinec 69 pts.
4. HC Sparta Praha 64 pts.
5. HC Keramika Plzen 59 pts.
6. HC Slavia Praha 56 pts.
7. HC Chemopetrol Litvinov 56 pts.
8. HC IPB Pojistovna Pardubice 52 pts.
9. HC Dukla Jihlava 51 pts.
10. HC Ceske Budejovice 48 pts.
11. HC ZPS Barum Zlin 48 pts.
12. HC Velvana Kladno 32 pts.
13. HC Becherovka Karlovy Vary 30 pts.
14. HC Bohemex Trade Opava 22 pts.
Playoff quarterfinals pairings: Vsetin - Pardubice, Sparta Praha
- Plzen, Trinec - Slavia Praha and Vitkovice - Litvinov.
Ondrej Hanzal/Mirek Langer
Sparta Leads Soccer League Despite Bad Play and Unhappy Fans
Last season's champion Sparta Praha has not lost a point in the
spring session of the soccer league and, after defeating last-place
Bohdanec 1-0, it has a 10-point lead in the standings. However, many
fans left the match before the end and those who stayed booed the
players off the field because of their poor play. Second-place Slavia
Praha, the last Czech team in the European Cups, increased its cushion
over third place to seven points by defeating Hradec 1-0. The next five
teams, with nearly identical records, are playing for spots in next
season's European Cups. Ceske Budejovice lost in Olomouc on a penalty
kick in extra time and fell into 15th place, and, together with
Bohdanec, is facing a possible fall into the second league.
Results of the 19th round: Plzen - Dukla 4-3, Opava - Drnovice 3-0,
Jablonec - Liberec 2-1, Sparta Praha - Bohdanec 1-0, Hradec Kralove
- Slavia Praha 0-1, Brno - Ostrava 2-0, Teplice - Zizkov 0-1, Olomouc
- Ceske Budejovice 1-0.
Milan Eisenhammer/Mirek Langer
Tennis Union General Meeting Cannot Elect New President
After five rounds of voting, the 120 delegates of the Czech Tennis
Union failed to elect a new president for the next four years. Former
Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus came closest, missing nine votes from
a majority. Representatives of the union managed to choose only a new
date for the next election. Acting President and 1973 Wimbledon champion
Jan Kodes will remain president until April 29.
Gabriela Podzimkova/Mirek Langer
SPORTS IN BRIEF
* Petr Korda failed in his attack on the number-one spot in the ATP
world rankings. He did not take advantage of Pete Sampras' flop in
Indian Wells and lost in the quarterfinal to Chile's Marcelo Rios 4-6
and 2-6. Korda's last chance comes in the next tournament in Key
Biscane.
* The Czech women's handball national team lost in the European
Championships' preliminary round to Hungary 16-28 and remains in last
place, without a point.
* Skiing freestyle jumper Ales Valenta, fourth in the Nagano Olympics,
finished fifth in the World Cup final in Altenmarkt, Austria. He is also
fifth in the final standings of the Cup, the best finish by a European.
Gabriela Podzimkova and David Kozohorsky/Mirek Langer
After deadline: Slavia Praha lost in Stuttgart 0-2 in the quarterfinals
of the Cup Winners Cup and was eliminated.
WEATHER
Two weeks ago I rushed to the Carolina newsroom in a sweaty shirt,
but I spent today, as well as all of last week, muffled in a winter
coat. The grass is green already but apparently regrets its hastiness.
Winter is back, though, with a bit of hyperbole, we could say it is
finally here. Ski-lift operators are cranking up their rusty ski-tows,
while the teeth of our displeased fellow citizens chatter away. Ominous
clouds are cruising the sky and occasionally releasing some snow. It
seems that the weather forecast has been the same for weeks. According
to the calendar, however, the next Carolina should be issued in spring.
Ales Bartl/Ivona Pulkrabkova
English version edited by Michael Bluhm.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
This news may be published only with "CAROLINA" designation. The
subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. Send them
please to the address:
CAROLINA@cuni.cz
To subscribe to CAROLINA news you send an e-mail message to the address
LISTSERV@listserv.cesnet.cz
The text of message for subscription of the English version must be:
SUBSCRIBE CAR-ENG First name Last name
or for the Czech version
SUBSCRIBE CAR-CS First name Last name
To delete your subscription from the list of subscribers you send
the following message to the address LISTSERV@listserv.cesnet.cz:
SIGNOFF CAR-ENG or SIGNOFF CAR-CS
We ask you not to send automatic replies to our list. You can
temporarily stop receiving of Carolina by sending the command:
SET CAR-ENG NOMAIL
All Listserv commands should be sent to the address:
LISTSERV@listserv.cesnet.cz
Please, don't send commands SUB, SIGNOFF, NOMAIL etc to the address
CAR-CS@listserv.cesnet.cz or CAR-ENG@listserv.cesnet.cz!
