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Carolina (English) No 322
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STUDENTS' E-MAIL NEWS FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC
Charles University in Prague
Faculty of Social Sciences
Smetanovo nabr. 6
110 01 Prague 1
Czech Republic
e-mail: CAROLINA@mbox.fsv.cuni.cz
tel: (+4202) 22112252, fax: (+4202) 24810987
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
C A R O L I N A No 322, Friday, March 5, 1999.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (February 24 - March 3)
Havel and Kwasniewski Sign Ratification Document for NATO Membership
Czech President Vaclav Havel and his Polish counterpart Aleksander
Kwasniewski, connected in Prague and Warsaw by live television,
simultaneously signed February 26 ratification documents for NATO
membership. The foreign ministers will submit the documents in the USA
March 12 to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. The Czech Republic,
Poland and Hungary (Hungarian President Arpad Goncz signed the document
earlier, he is now on a state visit abroad) will become NATO members.
"The protocol I just signed has for us and our descendants truly
historic meaning," said Havel. Havel had to stop his speech after the
signing because of a whistle in the press room. Jan Krecek, 25, who was
attending the ceremony as a journalist, protested against the Czech
Republic's membership in NATO and burned a sign bearing NATO's name. He
was taken from the press room by Castle guards and charged with
disorderly conduct.
Irena Valova of the Journalists' Syndicate described the repsonse
to Krecek's act: her phone has been ringing constantly, half the callers
say they agree with Prime Minister Milos Zeman's claim that journalists
are fools, while the other half pass on their congratulations to Krecek,
that he did it for them.
Alena Smrzova/Sofia Karakeva
Havel Visits France
Czech President Vaclav Havel started his three-day visit in France
by meeting French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac March 2. During his
visit Havel will discuss European integration and Czech-French
cooperation. On his agenda are a speech in the French Senate, a meeting
with Czech expatriates, a ride on the TGV express train and a visit to
Dijon, where the lyceum has long accepted a number of Czech students
annually.
Alena Smrzova/Sofia Karakeva
Government Approves Report on State of Czech Society
The Social Democrat Cabinet of Prime Minister Milos Zeman February
25 approved the Report on the State of Czech Society (more than 200
pages), which was presented that day by Deputy Prime Minister for
Economic Policy Pavel Mertlik (see Carolina 321). The final version
should be available to the public by the end of this week, after
Interior Minister Vaclav Grulich and Minister Without Portfolio Jaroslav
Basta revise the part concerning crime.
According to the Czech daily Slovo February 25, Mertlik said,
"This country is not flowering. In relation to the European Union it is
not catching up, but going backward. The gap is increasing especially
since 1997."
Pavla Hodkova/Sofia Karakeva
Two Commissions Will Discuss Relations between Church and State
Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman and Cardinal Miloslav Vlk during
breakfast last week agreed on establishing a second commission for
relations between the church and the state. They brought some calm to
the tense situation recently arisen between the Government and the
church.
Half of the new expert commission will consist of church
representatives and the other half will be named by Culture Minister
Pavel Dostal. "Prime Minister Zeman promised not to nominate unfriendly
people, but people of consensus, to avoid disputes within the
commission," said Vlk. The Government might thus prevent further
disagreement with faiths that refused to send representatives in the
first political commission, because Communist deputy Dalibor Matulka was
named a member. Both commissions will work on a bill on relations
between state and church. Dostal said the expert commission will create
various proposals, whereas the government commission, which will have
more authority, should return them with comments and counterproposals.
The bill should, according to Dostal, be completed in 2000.
Petr Kupec/Sofia Karakeva
The Black Book of Communism Appears in Czech
The Czech Republic became the seventh country where worldwide
bestseller The Black Book of Communism was published. The lengthy work
was written by a group of renowned French historians (including Czech
emigre Karel Bartosek) led by Stephane Curtois and analyzes the crimes
of communist regimes around the world. The book was released February
25 - the anniversary of the 1948 Communist coup in Czechoslovakia - by
the Paseka publishing house.
Immediately after the book's release in France, stormy debate
erupted. The most controversial part of the book was Curtois' preface,
where he implies equality between Nazism and communism. "Here is the
confluence of race and class genocide: the death of a Ukraine kulak's
child from hunger because of Stalin's intentionally caused famine is
equal to death of Jewish child in the Warsaw ghetto from hunger in
a famine brought about by the Nazi regime," wrote Curtois, and adds that
that the number of victims of communism number nearly 100 million. There
are two reasons, continues Curtois, to write this book: to study the
criminal side of communism, with the opportunity now provided by the
opening of archives, and because there is a moral debt to the millions
of innocent victims.
The former Czechoslovakia is included in the chapter The Other
Europe - Victim of Communism, written by Bartosek and Polish historian
Andrzej Paczkowski. Both authors describe communist coups in central and
eastern Europe after World War II, the purges of the 50's and show
trials with opponents of communist regimes. The number of victims of
communism in this part of Europe is, according to the authors, 1
million, most of them Polish. Both historians also find communism guilty
of destroying the civic society, which began in the times of the
Hapsburg monarchy.
The Black Book of Communism spurred emotional discussions in the
Czech Republic, too. The shop-window of Fisher Bookstore, where the book
is on display, was soiled with excrement. Martin Hekrdla in the daily
Pravo (the former Communist Party daily) condemned the book as
"a hysterical decoration without a real lesson," because the authors
compare apples and oranges (as an example, Hekrdla talks about the
victims of Maoists in Peru and Sandinistas in Nicaragua). Philosopher
Vaclav Belohradsky in the weekly Tyden branded the book a superficial
work of journalism and warned about exploiting the dead as an argument.
Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) Vice Chairman Miloslav
Ransdorf said on TV NOVA that the Black Book of Communism falsifies
history and appeared only because it was financed by a fanatical
publisher.
Curtois answered Carolina's question whether Communism has a chance
in today's world: "It will not have a chance, if democracy really
becomes a massive affair. Massive means that as many people as possible
will take it as their own. People must understand that democracy is here
for them."
Jakub Jirovec/Jakub Jirovec
FROM SLOVAKIA
Slovak Astronaut Back on Earth
The first Slovak astronaut, Ivan Bella, landed on the snow-covered
steppes of Kazakhstan February 28. Gennady Padalza returned with Bella
after a six-month stay in space.
According to Slovak daily SME, Bella is in good physical condition.
Bella said he is convinced Slovakia will continue in space missions. He
will return home after three weeks spent in quarantine. Bella will then
meet with Defense Minister Pavol Kanis, who officially invited him for
an unofficial beer. Lieutenant Colonel Bella will be promoted to colonel
and on the next state holiday will probably be promoted to the rank of
general.
Bella observed the evolution of quails in weightlessness. In his
project, Bella tested the possibilities for human survival in space with
an emphasis on diet.
Jana Kadlecova/Zuzana Janeckova
Gustav Krajci Will Be Prosecuted for Sabotaging Referendum
Former Interior Minister and present Movement for a Democratic
Slovakia (HZDS) legislator Gustav Krajci will lose his official immunity
and will be prosecuted for sabotaging a 1997 referendum on NATO
membership and direct presidential election. His immunity was stripped
by a vote of the National Assembly.
By order of the Government of former Premier Vladimir Meciar,
Krajci had referendum ballots printed without the question about direct
presidential election. He was obligated to include this question by
a petition signed by more than 500,000 people.
Zuzana Janeckova/Zuzana Janeckova
ECONOMY
1998 Brought Billion-Crown Losses in Two Major Financial Institutions
Commerce Bank (Komercni banka, KB) and the Czech Savings Bank
(Ceska sporitelna, CS), both controlled by the state, experienced the
worst year of their existences. Preliminary economic returns find both
mammoths deep in the red. Losses reached 9.56 billion crowns in KB and
6.94 billion crowns in CS.
The financial institutions explained the collapse by the decline in
economy, problems in international markets and higher minimum-reserve
requirements made by the Czech National Bank. Economists agree those
things occurred, but they also point out some poor decisions by the
banks (loans to insolvent and non-competitive companies, too much
collateral in over-appraised real estate and unsuccessful investments
abroad - the Savings Bank took a bath in Russia).
Pavlina Hodkova/Denisa Vitkova
IN BRIEF
* The state-owned Consolidation Bank recorded a loss in 1998 of 14.4
billion crowns, after a loss of 10.4 billion crowns in 1997. Its assets
were 154.8 billion crowns, liabilities amounted to 172.2 billion crowns.
* In February the state budget registered a surplus of 7.3 billion
crowns (revenues of 81.8 billion crowns and expenditures of 74.5 billion
crowns). The total budget for 1999 should end in a deficit, expected
revenue amounts to 574 billion crowns and expenditures 605 billion
crowns. However, economists expect the deficit to be approximately 10
billion crowns higher.
* The critical state of the Prague Stock Exchange, long known in
financial circles, intensified in the last week when the PX-50 Index
continued nosediving under the 340 points. In January the PX-50 Index
was still fluctuating around the 400-point line. Brokers panicked
February 24-25 when some shares (Czech Savings Bank, Czech Energy
Company - CEZ) lost 10 per cent of their value. Some experts are of the
opinion that the Prague Stock Exchange is going to near extinction after
trading with Czech blue chips is transferred to foreign capital markets.
Pavlina Hodkova/Denisa Vitkova
Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid March 5)
------------------------------------------------------------
1 EUR = 37.590 CZK
country currency CZK
------------------------------------------
Australia 1 AUD 21.560
Great Britain 1 GBP 55.730
Denmark 1 DKK 5.057
Japan 100 JPY 28.139
Canada 1 CAD 22.639
IMF 1 XDR 47.015
Hungary 100 HUF 14.728
Norway 1 NOK 4.358
New Zealand 1 NZD 18.237
Poland 1 PLN 8.716
Greece 100 GRD 11.681
Slovakia 100 SKK 86.301
Slovenia 100 SIT 19.903
Sweden 1 SEK 4.191
Switzerland 1 CHF 23.662
USA 1 USD 34.589
Exchange Rates of countries particpating in the euro
(converted from the euro rate)
country currency CZK
-----------------------------------------
Germany 1 DEM 19.219
Belgium 100 BEF 93.183
Finland 1 FIM 6.322
France 1 FRF 5.731
Ireland 1 IEP 47.729
Italy 1000 ITL 19.414
Luxemburg 100 LUF 93.183
Netherlands 1 NLG 17.058
Portugal 100 PTE 18.750
Austria 1 ATS 2.732
Spain 100 ESP 22.592
CULTURE
Drama Sekal Must Die Wins Record 10 Czech Lions
The awards of the Czech Film and Television Academy were announced
for the sixth time February 27 in Prague's Lucerna Palace. A record 10
Czech Lions went to the makers of the drama Sekal Must Die (Je treba
zabit Sekala): for the best picture, director (Vladimir Michalek),
script (Jiri Krizan), editing (Jiri Brozek), sound (Radim Hladik, Jr.),
camera (Martin Strba), and creative execution (Jiri Sternwald). Three
awards for Sekal went to Poland: for best actor (Olaf Lubaszenko), best
supporting actress (Agnieszka Sitekova) and music (Michal Lorenc). The
previous record of six Czech Lions belonged to Oscar-winner Kolya.
The crystal sculpture of the Czech Lion for best actress went to
Iva Janzurova for her role in the originally student film In the Rye (Co
chytnes v zite) by Roman Vavra. The Czech Lion for best supporting actor
went to Miroslav Donutil for his role in Traps, Traps, Little Traps
(Pasti, pasti, pasticky), directed by Vera Chytilova. Each year the
award for a lifetime contribution to Czech cinematography has been
awarded as well. This year, 80-year-old director Jiri Krejcik entered
the imaginary Hall of Fame. Krejcik directed the films Higher Principle
(Vyssi princip), Marriage Like It Oughta Be (Svatba jako remen), Pension
for Single Men (Pension pro svobodne pany).
According to box-office results, the most successful movie of
1998 in the Czech Republic was Titanic. The drama Saving Private Ryan
won the prize of the readers of Cinema magazine. Film critics agreed
with the Academy on the best film - Sekal Must Die. The movie Rapid Eye
Movements (Rychle pohyby oci) was voted worst film.
Zuzana Galova/Denisa Vitkova
Comedie-Francaise Brilliantly Performs Moliere
The legendary theater troupe Comedie-Francaise performed Moliere's
comedy Scapin (Les Fourberies de Scapin) directed by Jean-Louis Benoit
in Prague's National Theater February 27-28. Both performances were
exceptionally well received by the public and critics spoke highly of
them (daily MF DNES: Moliere a la France thrills audience; daily Lidove
noviny: Comedie-Francaise triumphs in National Theatre).
The flawless acting was underlined by simple scenery, framed only
by light. The director said he did not let the moral message of the play
disappear in a series of jokes, which often happens in Moliere's
comedies. The lesser known play deals with the pranks of the servant
Scapin, who tries to save his masters from their furious fathers. The
play was translated to the Czech audience in subtitles. As time went by,
the spectators, captivated by the excellent performance, had no need for
subtitles.
Pavel Sladky/Katerina Kolarova
SPORTS
Poor Performances in Nordic Skiing World Championships
Although Katerina Neumannova won the bronze medal in the Nordic
Skiing World Championships in Ramsau, Austria, finishing third in the
5km classic event, embarrassment prevails among skiers in their return
home.
Neumannova's medal was overshadowed by the bad performances of
other athletes. Only jumper Jakub Suchacek (11th in the event on the
K-90 hill) and the women's relay rose above the below-average results.
The women's relay should have finished better than in seventh place, but
it had no good skier for the second classic leg, where Zuzana Kocumova
flopped. Cross-country skiers Lukas Bauer and Katerina Hanusova finished
in the top 20 in the pursuit event. Racers in the nordic combined, other
jumpers and skiers Petr Michl and Vaclav Korunka were the biggest
disappointments.
Unusually often the Czech representatives did not participate in
the events and they also often gave up in the races. For example,
Neumannova herself withdrew from the 15km freestyle event and did not
start in the second part of the pursuit event because of unspecified
health problems.
Tomas Kohout/Mirek Langer
Hockey Extraleague: Three Candidates for Two Places in Playoffs
Only five rounds remain until the end of the regular session of the
Staropramen Hockey Extraleague. Six teams have already secured a place
in the playoffs, while Vitkovice, Pardubice and Litvinov are fighting
for the last two places in the elite eight.
Pardubice complicated its position with an unexpected loss to Opava
on its own ice, helping Litvinov's chances. The northern-Bohemian team
easily defeated Jihlava and then, missing seven players, tied Vsetin .
Sixth-place Ceske Budejovice ensured its participation in the
playoffs by winning a postponed game in Kladno. Budejovice managed to
make a nice turnaround in its previous game: from a 3-0 deficit it
defeated Vitkovice 5-3.
Vsetin managed to tie a 2-0 deficit in the last minute against
Plzen, but during this season the leader of the standings won no game
against Plzen.
In the fight for third place, Trinec smashed Sparta Praha and tied
Sparta in the standings, with Plzen one point behind. Third place is
important for the team which does not want to meet four-time reigning
champion Vsetin before the finals.
Three clubs made important changes: Trinec has a new general
manager, Slavia and Karlovy Vary fired their coaches. In Trinec, Alois
Hadamczik became general manager of the club February 27. Hadamczik was
fired as coach after conflicts with former general manager Tomas
Herstus. Hadamczik will also assist coaches Jaroslav Jagr and Kamil
Konecny. Just after Hadamczik's comeback, the team smashed Sparta.
"I consider it a reward for the work I did for Trinec in the past," said
Hadamczik, who also arranged Ladislav Lubina's return to the squad
(Lubina had been released from the team because of personal problems,
see last issue of Carolina).
Slavia management will not prolong the contract of coaches Richard
Farda and Ladislav Slizek, who will however finish the season with the
club. Also in Karlovy Vary, they have to ask for a new coach. After
a televised debacle in Vitkovice the management released four players
from the team and sacked assistant Karel Trachta. Head coach Josef
Beranek then resigned after conflicts with players. He will be replaced
by general manager Milan Kasparek till the end of the season.
Results of the 46th round: Vsetin - Plzen 2-2, Trinec - Sparta
Prague 7-1, Jihlava - Litvinov 1-4, Kladno - Zlin 5-1, Pardubice - Opava
1-2, Slavia Prague - Ceske Budejovice 2-4, Vitkovice - Karlovy Vary 8-0
Results of the 47th round: Opava - Jihlava 8-2, Trinec - Karlovy
Vary 4-1, Zlin - Pardubice 4-2, Litvinov - Vsetin 1-1, Ceske Budejovice
- Vitkovice 5-3, Sparta Prague - Kladno 6-1, Plzen - Slavia Prague 3-2
Postponed game of the 42nd round: Kladno - Ceske Budejovice 0-4
Standings: 1. Vsetin 68, 2. Zlin 65, 3. Sparta Prague 57, 4. Trinec
57, 5. Plzen 56, 6. Ceske Budejovice 52, 7. Vitkovice 48, 8. Pardubice
46, 9. Litvinov 44, 10. Slavia Prague 40, 11. Opava 37, 12. Kladno 34,
13. Karlovy Vary 34, 14. Jihlava 20.
Stepan Etrych/Mirek Langer
Soccer Sparta Builds Advantage ahead of Teplice, Drnovice and Slavia
First-place Sparta Praha took the lead early in its game in the
Gambrinus Soccer League's 17th round against Karvina, but then it
allowed its opponent to take momentum. That finished in the 68th minute,
when Sparta scored for the second time and won by a final of 3-0.
After a loss in the last round, second-place Teplice failed to win
again, getting one point by winning the second half against Pribram.
Blsany, which was promoted to the top league the last season, won its
second spring game: it beat Olomouc 3-2.
Hradec Kralove surprised Plzen, from which coach Petr Ulicny was
fired after the game. He became the seventh coach to get his walking
papers this season. Assistant Milan Sip will lead the team.
In the televised game, Slavia did not manage to avenge its 5-0
autumn loss to Ostrava, and after a scoreless tie lost two important
points in its struggle for the title.
Results of the 17th round: Blsany - Olomouc 3-2, Liberec - Brno
0-0, Opava - Zizkov 2-0, Drnovice - Jablonec 1-1, Karvina - Sparta
Prague 0-3, Plzen - Hradec Kralove 0-3, Teplice - Pribram 1-1, Slavia
Prague - Ostrava 0-0.
Standings: 1. Sparta Prague 37 points, 2. Teplice 32, 3. Drnovice
31, 4. Slavia Prague 29, 5. Blsany 29, 6. Olomouc 27, 7. Ostrava 23, 8.
Opava 23, 9. Zizkov 21, 10. Brno 20, 11. Hradec Kralove 19, 12. Liberec
17, 13. Jablonec 15, 14. Plzen 15, 15. Pribram 14, 16. Karvina 12.
Robin Rohrich/Mirek Langer
Czech Men's Basketball Team Advances to European Championships
After defeating Sweden 102-83 in Opava February 24 in the
qualification game for the European Championships, the Czech Republic
advanced to the final tournament, which will take place in France in
June. The independent Czech Republic has never participated in the final
tournament, although the former Czechoslovakia did eight years ago. The
Czech team advances from third place, although it lost its last game in
the qualification in Turkey, 67-86.
Vladimir Vorechovsky/Mirek Langer
SPORTS IN BRIEF
* The Czech men's table tennis team advanced to the superdivision of
the European League after seven years of unsuccessful attempts. It won
both games against Denmark 4-1, as its star, Atlanta Olympics
semifinalist Petr Korbel, won four singles and one doubles match (with
Plachy).
* The women of IMOS Zabovresky, winners of the qualification group of
the women's basketball Euroliga, lost twice in the quarterfinals to
Italy's SFT Como and did not advance to the final tournament, which will
take place in its home arena in Brno.
Petr Novy and Jirka Wazik/Mirek Langer
WEATHER
Among Carolina staff there was a difference of opinion about the
weather. Some of us thought the weather was horrible, because everything
started melting. Others believed the thaw meant the beginning of spring.
The fact is that the temperature of 13.5 degrees Celsius/56 degrees
Fahrenheit broke the record in the capital February 27. People went for
a walk to enjoy the sunny weather and they lost their usual winter
grumpiness. Skiers remained grumpy because the snow is rapidly melting
(some snow remains on mountain peaks) but the danger of avalanche still
exists. Some regions are braced for rivers to overflow. Pessimists fear
flooding, optimists are looking forward to an early spring, which is
traditionally announced by vendors of snowdrops and catkins in the
streets.
Some of us who search for the first buds and green twigs know that
spring will come in 15 days.
Katerina Kolarova/Katerina Kolarova
English version edited by Michael Bluhm.
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