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 STUDENT'S E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECHOSLOVAKIA School of Social Science of Charles University Smetanovo nabr. 6 110 01 Prague 1 C.S.F.R. e-mail address: CAROLINA@CSEARN.BITNET *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 47, Friday, October 30, 1992. FROM LAST WEEK'S EVENTS (October 21 - 28) Memorandum for Europe This headline in the daily Lidove Noviny deals with the second round of talks between the governments of the Czech and the Slovak Republics, which took place on Monday, October 26 in Javorina, High Tatras. Both premiers Vaclav Klaus and Vladimir Meciar in the end signed a Memorandum of the Governments of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic to the European Community, and sent it immediately to British Premier John Major who is presiding over the European Community. Between 15 and 22 bills prepared on international relations between the Czech and the Slovak Republics after January 1, 1993 were passed at this meeting. In the leading issue, the future of citizenship, the governments agreed that citizenships of the republics will be defined by the national councils. "There will not be any form of Union of common citizenship," Klaus said. Meanwhile, Czechs will not be foreigners in Slovakia and will have opportunity to obtain both citizenships, and according to Meciar, the Czech Republic is presumed to remain with one citizenship. So far no agreement of the division of property was approved because of the doubts of its size. A new committee was formed to prepare, within a week, new quantitative foundation, particularly in the fields of banking, finance, governmental credits, debts and other assets and liabilities of the state. Having returned from London, from the meeting of J. Delors and J. Major with the representatives of the so-called Visegrad's Trio (Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia), both the premiers of the Czech and the Slovak Republics are supposed to ratify at Prague's airport the contract of Customs Union between both Republics. Damming Up of the Dunabe Started On Saturday, October 24, the final work on the controversial damming of the river-bed of the Dunabe started at Cunovo near Bratislava. According to Director of the enterprize Waterworks Construction, Julius Binder, the last phase of the construction of the variant C of Gabcikovo waterworks was commenced. A removal of the dam would not last for long as its construction is the argument of opponents who proclaim that damming up is by no means an inevitable action. According to Czech Minister for Foreign Affairs, Josef Zieleniec, the question is not which side (Slovakian or Hungarian) is right in the case of Gabcikovo, but the European Community appealed to Czechoslovakia not to undertake anything until a committee of representatives of the European Community, Czechoslovakia and Hungary comes to their sessions. In spite of that, the federal government decided on Wendnesday that the dam will be completed by November 2. After Thursday's talks in Brussels were deemed unsatisfactory, Hungary appealed on Friday to the International Court in the Hague to decide on the dispute between Hungary and Czechoslovakia. On the same day, Hungary delivered a note by word of mouth to Czechoslovakia, demanding either the answer by Tuesday morning, or the Federal government would take pertinent measures by that day. If Hungary should not regard the answer satisfactory, she can request calling together the Council of Ministers of the Conference of Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Czechoslovakian government was in a session late into night on Monday, October 26, but was not able adopt any approach towards Gabcikovo. Five Czech members of the government were for interuption of the dam work, 5 slovak ministers were against. Word came round that the government might resign but it will surely not happen before the return of the Republics' premiers from the summit in London. According to the Czechoslovkian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jozef Moravcik, it was not possible to stop the construction work since by November 2, a navigation on the Dunabe must be restored. In the answer to the Hungarian note concerning the construction of the Dunabe waterworks, Czechoslovakia binds itself that even after damming up the Danube, the quality and the quantity of water flowing to the old river-bed on the Czechoslovakia-Hungary border will stay the same and that electric energy will not be generated there yet. Since October 26, the Danube has flowed through a natural canal to a 25km remote hydro-power station and due to high water, it was allegedly necessary to additionally activate a turbine supplying 40 MW of electricity to the national electricity network per hour. Orders of T.G.Masaryk 64 personalities, who have gained recognition for their struggle for democracy, human rights and a coexistence of the Czech and the Slovak nations, were on Wednesday, October 28, accorded Orders of T.G.Masaryk in memoriam. Their relatives received the decorations in the Vladislav's Hall at the Prague Castle from the hands of Federal Premier Jan Strasky, who after Vaclav Havel's abdication, exercises some presidental jurisdiction. Among those decorated in memoriam, writer and playwright Vladislav Vancura, assasinated during World War II, Frantisek Kriegel, who in August 1968, was the only politician who did not sign the so-called Moscow Protocol, and afterwards was removed from political life and became one of the first signatories of the Charter 77, historician and diplomat Kamil Krofta, and Slovakian fiction-writer Jozef Gregor Tajovsky, who dedicated his life to the coexistence of Czechs and Slovaks. The Order of T.G. Masaryk was the highest state decoration first granted since last year. It is accorded by the president of the republic on the proposal of all the three governments. After the division of the state it will probably remain a decoration granted in the Czech Republic. The last birthday of Czechoslovakia The picture of the last celebrations of October 28 as a state feast will appear in the next issue. Today we would like to present just a brief historical excursion reminding of the inception of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918. Journalist Ferdinand Peroutka compared in his work "Building Up the State," the inception of Czechoslovakia to a birth of a baby at whose conception the male character was represented by the desire of the nation for independence, and the female part was taken by the decaying structure of Austria-Hungary. It is necessary to state though, that this longing for freedom lacked for quite a long time any propriate deeds. The resistance in exile was represented by the Czechoslovak National Council in Paris (T.G.Masaryk, E.Benes, M.R.Stefanik), which arised in 1916 and operated with a program of creating an independent Czechoslovak state for which it tried to gain support of the governments of the states of the Agreement. Slovakia was supposed to have its own administration, parliament and courtship within the common state, as it was stated in the Pittsburg Agreement. The Agreement designed by Masaryk was adopted by the representatives of Czech and Slovak countrymen organizations in the USA in May 31, 1918. In the end of the World War I, during June and September 1918, the governments of France, Great Britain, USA and Japan recognized the National Council of the future Czechoslovak state. The National Council organized army troops in exile from Czech and Slovak volunteers, so-called legions, which were fighting on the Agreement side against Austria-Hungary. The home resistance was represented by Mafie, secret organization of politicians and journalists which gathered news about the home situation and supplied it abroad. In July 1918, National Czechoslovak Committee was formed from representatives of individual political parties according to the election results from 1911. As the highest body and the center of home resistance against Austria-Hungary, it anticipated taking over the power in Czech lands and on October 28, 1918 his representatives Rasin, Svehla, Soukup and Stribrny proclaimed an independent Czechoslovak Republic and passed its first bill. Slovakia joined the common state on October 30 by the Martin's Declaration, represented by V. Srobar. It should be noted that a great importance for the process of forming of the common state had 14-points program for post-war arranging of the world elaborated by of American president T.W.Wilson.(mainly the 10th point demanding inception of national states.) The Leading Figure in Bohemia is V.Dlouhy, in Slovakia P.Weiss According to the latest polling results, the top of the ladder of popularity in the Czech Republic in October is occupied by Minister of Industry, Trade and Travel, Vladimir Dlouhy. It is for the first time since December 1989 that the top is not taken by Vaclav Havel. Havel ranks 2-3 together with Vaclav Klaus. The most popular person in Slovakia is Chairman of the Party of Democratic Left Wing and at the same time Deputy Chaiman of the National Council of the Slovank Republic Peter Weiss. He is narrowly followed by contemporary Slovak Premier and at the same time Chairman of the Movement for Democratic Slovakia, Vladimir Meciar. Third ranks contemporary Chairman of the Federal Assembly, Michal Kovac. The University of Trnava Protests Against the Illegal Advance of the Slovakian Minister of Education According to Chairman of the Academic Senate, Michal Slivka, the University of Trnava will take legal action against Minister of Education and Science of the Slovak Republic Matus Kucera, who had blocked the University's bank account. The students of the University made a proclamation on Monday, October 26 stating that they were disenchanted by the worsening fight between the Slovakian Minister of Education and Science and the Management of the University. They coment that the advance of the last events leads towards the possibility of abolishing the University and they univocally support their pedagogues in the fight for the preservation of the school. According to the Tuesday's daily Mlada Fronta Dnes, 200 students of the University of Trnava demanded that the Slovakian Minister release the bank account since the school does not have money to pay its employees. In the most critical days they received 100,000 crowns by the Local Authority in Trnava. On Monday, the rector of the University Anton Hajduk said that in spite of all the problems from the side of the Ministry of Education, the lessons continue. In the last issue we informed you about the protest of the University Union of Slovakia against the blocking of the state bank account of the University of Trnava and we also published the account of the Foundation Universitas Tyrnaviensis 4-000-173-305/3 100 at the General Credit Bank Bratislava. Slovak Universities and the Charles University in Prague have already expresed their solidarity with the University of Trnava. Menzel - students' strike Well-known Czech film director Jiri Menzel regards the students' strike at the Prague's Film Academy of Musae Arts, demanding the removal of the head of the department of direction, a students'problem. The Academic Senate of the faculty which assembled on Thursday, October 22 confirmed the authority of the students' claims. Within 7 days dean J. Pecak should adopt measures guaranteeing normal functions of the school. The Senate of the Academy of Musae Arts also suggested that Zdenek Urbanek be removed from the post of the rector of the Academy. Since the Ministry of Education, Youth and Physical Education has not reacted to the original proposal from May 1992, in September the Senate reconfirmed its proposal of removing the rector in re-voting. SPORT Football league after the 10th round Suprisingly, the leading Slovan Bratislava was beaten at home by Bratislava's team Inter 2:3. The defender of the title remains in spite of the loss on the top of the chart together with Dunajska Streda and Brno. Again Cups'Results Czechoslovakian master Slovan Bratislaba was beaten at home by the Italian master team AC Milan 1:0. AC Milan showed to be one of the best European teams and achieved victory even with 10 players and in the 2nd half-time. Slovan still lacks greater cup experience. As for Sparta playing in the Cup of the Masters of the Cups - the goal-keeper Kouba presented an outstanding performance. WEATHER October was regarded as below average in temperature, which made us prematurely take out winter jackets, hats and scarfs. Daily temperatures do not exceed 10 degrees (Centigrade) and during night sank below zero. The mountains enjoy this year's first snow, Jeseniky in the Soutnern Moravia announced 30 centimeters. The ski-season was opened. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with "CAROLINA" designation. The subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. To subscribe to CAROLINA you have to send the e-mail message on the address LISTSERV@CSEARN.BITNET. The text of the message is: SUBSCRIBE CAR-ENG First name Last name for the english version or SUBSCRIBE CAR-CS First name Last name for the czech version. Tu delete your subscription from the list you should send the message to LISTSERV: SIGNOFF CAR-ENG or SIGNOFF CAR-CS