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Carolina (English) No 365
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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 365, Friday, March 3, 2000.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (February 23 - March 1)
Government Tries to Prevent Export to Iranian Power Plant
Deputies will discuss a special bill concerning a ban on supplies
to the Iranian nuclear power plant in Bushehr, in connection to the
export plans of the Czech company ZVVZ Milevsko. The Chamber of Deputies
has been in a state of legislature emergency (meaning deputies can pass
laws more quickly) since February 24 to facilitate the speedy passage of
the bill. Analysts say the government underestimated the problem and is
now trying to save what it can (the Cabinet passed the draft of the bill
at a special session February 23). The press has linked the
government's efforts to the upcoming Prague visit of American Secretary
of State Madeleine Albright.
Problems concerning the supply of air-conditioning devices to
Bushehr have been ongoing for almost a year. The government had made
several unsuccessful attempts to stop the supply. Last year, the Foreign
Ministry tried to persuade ZVVZ Milevsko to withdraw from the contract.
Since January the ministry has been under constant pressure from the
ambassadors of the US and the UK, who do not wish the contract to be
fulfilled. They say they fear the power plant is only a cover for the
development of nuclear weapons. Iran, however, strongly denies such
speculation.
ZVVZ Milevsko would lose a deal worth about 1 billion crowns if the
ban is passed. The government has promised to find another contract to
cover about 75 per cent of the Bushehr contract's earnings.
Communist deputies are against the ban, calling it "an attack on
the sovereignty of the Czech Republic". According to Vice Chairman of
the Chamber of Deputies and the Civic Democratic Party Ivan Langer,
export to Iran does not violate any present Czech law.
Daniela Vrbova/Ondrej Maly
Freedom Union Elects Leaders
Delegates of the Freedom Union's (Unie svobody, US) national
convention February 26 elected Karel Kuehnl chairman of the party.
Kuehnl, 45-year-old former ammbassador to Great Britain and former trade
minister, received 193 of 280 votes. His rival, Vladimir Mlynar, was
later elected first vice chairman, with the other vice-chair positions
going to deputy Petr Mares, businessman Miroslav Malchar and lawyer Hana
Marvanova. The leadership said its priorities would be tax and pension
reform and a decrease in bureaucracy.
Kuehnl said his ambition is to be prime minister after the
Four-Party Coalition (the Freedom Union, the Christian Democrats, the
Civic Democratic Alliance and the Democratic Union) wins the next
election. Delegates recommended the party become more aggressive, ready
for the unavoidable battle with the Civic Democratic Party (ODS).
ODS Chairman Vaclav Klaus was not invited to the convention,
because Freedom Union representatives said his party is not a true
opposition party, thanks to its role in governing through the Opposition
Contract. Klaus published his prepared speech in the press: he says he
sees the Freedom Union as ODS' partner, because of the similarity of
their programs. Freedom Union delegates on the other hand expect
a battle between the two parties over the votes of the conservative
electorate.
Iva Potrebova/Jakub Jirovec
Conflicts Surrounding Unearthed Jewish Cemetery Continue
The Prague Jewish Community February 29 received the long-expected
letter from the Ashkenazy rabbi of Israel, in which he expressed his
position on the Jewish cemetery in Prague's Vladislavova Street,
discovered in 1998 on a construction site belonging to the Czech
Insurance Company. The letter says no other structure should be built on
the site of the 13th-century cemetery.
The letter was an answer to the request of the head Czech rabbi
Karol Sidon to resolve the conflicts with foreign Jewish institutions
that did not like the agreement between the Prague Jewish Community and
the Czech Insurance Company. The agreement said the Culture Ministry
would declare the cemetery a cultural site and the remains would be
transfered and the graves would made accessible after the completion of
construction.
The protests - strongest from head British rabbi Jonathan Sacks and
head of the French Jewish Community Josep Sitruk - reached their peak
February 24, when 40 orthodox Jews tried to return the remains of their
ancestors to the cemetery. They were not allowed in and had to take
their two vehicles with 160 wooden containers of remains back to the
Jewish cemetery in Prague's Olsany area.
Culture Minister Pavel Dostal is going to submit the problem to the
government, because he says it exceeds the authority of his ministry.
Each day brings further financial damage to the investor, who will
probably seek compensation from the ministry.
Daniela Vrbova/Daniela Vrbova
NEWS IN BRIEF
* Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Chairman Vaclav Klaus and Prime
Minister Milos Zeman agreed at a private meeting February 28 that
changes in the government would take place within 48 hours after the
Chamber of Deputies passes the state budget bill. Deputies began to
discuss the third version of the bill March 1 and have passed it into
its third, final reading.
* Czechoslovak members of allied armies during 1939 - 1945 can apply
for compensation for their services from March 1. The freshly approved
law that allows them to do so was signed by President Vaclav Havel
February 24 (see Carolina 364).
* Former Finance Minister Ivo Svoboda and his adviser Barbora
Snopkova were freed February 29 from police custody, in which they had
been held almost 100 days. The two are facing accusations they defrauded
the Melnik-based Liberta company of 6.5 million crowns. The stay in
prison inspired Svoboda, who suffered a nervous breakdown after being
incarcerated, to draft amendments to prison laws. Snopkova wrote her
memoirs. The investigation is still continuing and it is unknown whether
a trial will be held.
* The civic association Thank You, Now Leave! held a demonstration
February 25 called Thank You, We Will Hold On - Anti-February 2000.
A few hundred people attended. Organizers did not hide their
disappointment. "It's definitely our defeat and I accept it," said to
the Czech daily Ceske slovo Josef Broz, one of the leaders of the
association.
* The daily Lidove called attention to the game Shoot Your Own Gypsy
circulating on the Internet. In the game, players prevent dark-skinned
characters from dismantling the wall in Maticni Street. The game is
accompanied by racist texts. Police investigators said the game was
a rarity in the Czech Republic, but the daily MF DNES reported that
there are at least three other similar games accessible on the Internet.
* Shortly before the beginning of an unannounced, anti-communism
demonstration organized by the ultra-right National Alliance February
25, police arrested Alliance leader Vladimir Skoupy and his colleague
Zbynek Rais. Skoupy is being held in police custody and faces a sentence
of up to five years for wearing the National Alliance's badge, which
evokes the emblem of a former Nazi organization. Both are accused of
promoting movements that suppress civic rights and liberties. "Skoupy's
arrest is like a bad action movie. We are now at a crossroads, but we
will not tolerate being harassed forever," said Jan Brcak, the head of
the National Resistance movement, during a discussion on the Internet.
Pavel Korinek and Jan Vedral Jr./Simon Dominik
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Kavan Visits Greece and Great Britain
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kavan and his Greek counterpart Jorgos
Papandreu February 23 signed the Memorandum of Czech-Greek Cooperation
in the Economic Renewal and Development of Southeastern Europe.
Papandreu said the agreement was the next link in the chain of common
initiatives, recalling the Czech-Greek initiative, which last spring was
drawn up as an alternative resolution to the conflict in Kosovo - that
initiative, however, was fiercely criticized by some NATO allies.
Kavan March 1 completed his visit to Great Britain, where he met
British opposite number Robin Cook along with the foreign ministers of
Poland and Hungary. Kavan said the Czech Republic wants to participate
in the security policy of the EU, and for the years 2003-2004 he offered
a self-sufficient mechanized battalion, a fleet of helicopters, a field
hospital and a chemical-defense company for security operations in
Europe.
Ondrej Maly/Darina Johanidesova
Czech Republic Accelerates Preparation for EU
After the harsh criticism the European Union directed last fall at
the Czech Republic's preparations for joining the EU, the Czech Republic
has achieved a marked acceleration in passing laws and harmonizing Czech
legislation with European standards. That was the evaluation EU
Commissar for Expansion Gunter Verheugen made before the Foreign Affairs
Committee of the European Parliament in Brussels February 23. Brussels
is disturbed by the unstable Czech domestic political situation, but
appreciates the agreement of political parties concerning European
integration, he said.
Lubos Kratochvil/Darina Johanidesova
FROM SLOVAKIA
Vasaryova New Slovak Ambassador to Poland
Former actress and presidential candidate Magda Vasaryova will be
Slovakia's ambassador to Poland. Boris Gedel, spokesman for the Foreign
Ministry confirmed the news February 24, adding that Vasaryova has
received official agreement from the Polish side.
After the division of Czechoslovakia, Vasaryova left her post as
ambassador to Austria and founded the Slovak Society for Foreign Policy.
In Warsaw she will succeed Ondrej Nemcok, former deputy education
minister. The naming of Vasaryova to the position would seem to indicate
relations with Poland are a priority for Slovakia.
Veronika Hankusova/Veronika Hankusova
Jozo Raz Sings Slovak Song of the Year
The 1999 Slovak Music Awards were handed out February 25, with the
ceremony dominated by the young generation of artists grouped around
Ivan Tasler, considered the most talented musician in Slovakia. His band
I.M.T. Smile was awarded the trophy as best group of the year and Tasler
also wrote the lyrics for the majority of Jana Kirschnerova's songs. She
won in the categories of female singer and best album with her In
a Foreign City (V cudzom meste).
The award for the best song of the year was given to Vaso Patejl's
The Water Keeping Me above Water (Voda, co ma drzi nad vodou). Its
lyrics were written by the late Jozef Urban and it was sung by Jozo Raz,
the leader of the group Elan now recovering after a near-fatal
motorcycle accident. He taped a greeting for the ceremony in which he
congratulated Patejl, the keyboardist who co-founded Elan with Raz when
they were 15 and this year entered the Hall of Fame.
Veronika Hankusova/Veronika Hankusova
ECONOMY
Skoda Fabia Number One in Great Britain
The Skoda Fabia, the newest product of Mlada Boleslav's Skoda Auto,
notched a big success in Great Britain. A reader's poll in the British
magazine What Car? February 23 declared Skoda's Fabia the car of the
year for 2000 in all categories. The awards ceremony took place in
London and was attended by 1,200 members of the car industry and
journalists.
The Fabia's victory has made a dent in the reputation of Skodas as
cheap and unreliable. The Czech carmaker, which now belongs to the
Volkswagen concern, has had problems rectifying its earlier reputation,
particularly in Great Britain - before 1989 a series of unusually
problem-prone cars were exported there. In the poll, Fabia won first
place in the supermini class ahead of the Fiat Punto, Ford Fiesta and
Toyota Yaris. The Fabia also finished first place overall, ahead of the
Vauxhall (the British Opel) Zafira, BMW 523i and Mercedes S320. Fabias
in Britain cost from 7,599 pounds to 11,699 pounds.
Lubos Kratochvil/Denisa Vitkova
Wild Rumors about IPB Lower Its Share Price
After rumors about huge problems in the Investment and Postal Bank
(Investicni a postovni banka, IPB) began to spread, its stock price
started to drop at the end of last week, falling February 28 by 12.3 per
cent. There were rumors the bank was to be placed under forced
administration, allegedly discussed at the Czech National Bank's meeting
February 24. Central bank spokesman Milan Tomanek said in the daily
Pravo that the Banking Council had never discussed forced
administration. IPB spokeswoman Barbora Tacheci said the rumors are part
of the dirty tactics employed by IPB's competitors.
Dita Eckhardtova/Denisa Vitkova
Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid March 3)
--------------------------------------------------------------
1 EUR = 35.700
country currency CZK
------------------------------------------
Australia 1 AUD 22.449
Great Britain 1 GBP 58.166
Denmark 1 DKK 4.793
Japan 100 JPY 34.340
Canada 1 CAD 25.393
IMF 1 XDR 49.203
Hungary 100 HUF 13.916
Norway 1 NOK 4.415
New Zealand 1 NZD 18.205
Poland 1 PLN 8.903
Greece 100 GRD 10.695
Slovakia 100 SKK 85.338
Slovenia 100 SIT 17.644
Sweden 1 SEK 4.228
Switzerland 1 CHF 22.210
USA 1 USD 36.742
Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro
(converted from the euro rate)
country currency CZK
-----------------------------------------
Germany 1 DEM 18.253
Belgium 100 BEF 88.498
Finland 1 FIM 6.004
France 1 FRF 5.442
Ireland 1 IEP 45.330
Italy 1000 ITL 18.438
Luxemburg 100 LUF 88.498
Netherlands 1 NLG 16.200
Portugal 100 PTE 17.807
Austria 1 ATS 2.594
Spain 100 ESP 21.456
CULTURE
Music Academy Announces Genre Winners
The Academy of Popular Music February 29 announced the winners of
its awards in various musical genres. The Winner in the Folk and Country
category was Robert Krestan and his band Second Grass (Druha trava), the
winner in the jazz category was Jan Spaleny, in Ethnic and Alternative
music Uni Jazz. In the category Dance and Hip Hop the award went to Ohm
Square, while the victor in the category Hard & Heavy was Arakain. The
academy also announced the nominees for individual categories, with the
winners to be announced March 11.
Radka Kohutova/Zuzana Janeckova
CULTURE IN BRIEF
* Czech pianist Emil Viklicky won the international opera competition
organized by the Prague State Opera. His work Phaedra was announced the
winner of the 20 finalists February 26. Second place went to the opera
Neon by American Hayden Wayne, with third place going to the Italian
Bruno Moretti for his opera Lady E. As part of the award, Phaedra will
have its premiere in the Prague State Opera September 20.
Radka Kohutova/Zuzana Janeckova
SPORTS
Six Medals for Czech Republic at the Europe Indoor Championships
Czech athletes won six medals at the European Indor Track and Field
Championships in Gent. Gold medals were taken by Tomas Dvorak
(septathlon), the men's 4x400m relay team (Jiri Muzik, Jan Podebradsky,
Stepan Tesarik, Karel Blaha) and pole vaulter Pavla Hamackova. Silver
medalists were Roman Sebrle (septathlon) and Zuzana Hlavonova (high
jump). The Czechs' bronze medalist was Helena Fuchsova (400m).
Darina Johanidesova/Michael Bluhm
Soccer League: Chasing Slavia
Slavia, occupying first place in the top Czech soccer league, held
on to its four-point advantage over second-place Sparta after the 18th
round of the season.
Results of the 18th round: Slavia - Hradec Kralove 3:0, Jablonec
- Sparta 0:2, Olomouc - Ostrava 4:1, Pribram - Teplice 3:0, Zizkov
- Brno 1:0, Opava - C.Budejovice 3:2, Blsany - Liberec 1:0, Drnovice
- Bohemians 3:0.
Standings: 1.Slavia 46 points, 2.Sparta 42, 3.Drnovice 33,
4.Bohemians 24, 5.C. Budejovice 24, 6.Teplice 24, 7.Pribram 24,
8.Blsany 24, 9.Liberec 22, 10.Ostrava 21, 11.Olomouc 21, 12.Opava 20,
13.Brno 19, 14.Zizkov 17, 15.Jablonec 16, 16.H.Kralove 15.
David Luksu/Michael Bluhm
Hockey League Playoff Picture Taking Shape
Sparta looks like the sure winner of the top Czech hockey league's
regular season, while Pardubice and Znojmo are fighting for the last
place in the eight-team playoffs.
Results of the 47th round, Friday, February 25:
Sparta - Vsetin 4:2, Litvinov - Znojmo 2:5, Havirov - Plzen 4:2, Zlin
- Vitkovice 6:2, Pardubice - Kladno 3:3, Budejovice - K.Vary 8:4, Trinec
- Slavia 5:2.
Results of the 48th round, Sunday, February 27:
Kladno - Budejovice 4:2, Vsetin - Havirov 4:1, Slavia - Pardubice 2:2,
K.Vary - Litvinov 4:6, Znojmo - Sparta 2:2, Vitkovice - Trinec O:3,
Plzen - Zlin 3:3.
Postponed match from 32th round, February 29: Plzen - Sparta 1:5.
Postponed match from 37th round, February 29: Pardubice - Zlin 3:3
Standings after the 48th round:
1. Sparta 70 points (one match postponed), 2.Zlin 60, 3.Vsetin 60,
4.Plzen 58, 5.Trinec 57, 6.Budejovice 56 (one match postponed),
7.Litvinov 52, 8.Pardubice 42, 9.Znojmo 42, 10.Slavia 37, 11.K.Vary 36,
12.Kladno 36, 13.Havirov 34, 14.Vitkovice 31.
Darina Johanidesova
SPORTS IN BRIEF
* Slavia Praha defeated Udinese Calcio 1:0 on an own goal in
Prague's Strahov Stadium February 29 in a UEFA Cup game.
* Sparta Praha won its first point in its Champions League Group
A after a 1-1 draw with Hertha Berlin March 1 in Berlin.
David Luksu
WEATHER
The weekend was beautiful, with temperaturss at the beginning of
the week not too far shy of 15 degrees Celsius/59 degrees Fahrenheit
- and then Prague's usual cloud cover returned.
English version edited by Michael Bluhm.
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