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 School of Social Sciences of Charles University Smetanovo nabr. 6 110 01 Prague 1 Czech Republic E-mail address: carolina@n.fsv.cuni.cs Fax: (+422) 231 7391 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 62, Friday, February 12, 1993. FROM LAST WEEK'S EVENTS (February 3 to 10) Separation Of Currency Effected, Late Exchange Possible Till February 28 On February 8, the separation of the Czechoslovak currency into the currency of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic took place. The monetary union went out of existence. The exchange of bank notes for stamped ones ran its course through February 4 - 7 without a hitch. About one half of the population came up with the money, and many of them exchanged just small amounts. The exchange was concluded on February 7, but forgotten money need not be lost. There is still time until the end of the month to come to selected branch offices of the Commercial Bank to exchange bank notes in the amount of up to two thousand crowns, and with a written application giving reasons why the citizen missed the regular deadline. The exchange rate of the Czech crown (Kc) and the Slovak crown (Ks) will be known on Friday, February 12. Effective Wednesday, February 10, the Investment Bank announced a tourist rate of 1:1; for the purchase of the Slovak currency, it is 0.80, sale 1.20. The most advantageous rate is apparently the rate of the Czechoslovak Business Bank in the Slovak Republic; it offered 99 and required 101 Slovak crowns for 100 Kc. For other than tourist purposes, the Czech and the Slovak crown are mutually inexchangeable. All other inter-republican payments are regulated by a payments treaty which is based on the principle of three clearing circuits. Klaus Kinkel In Prague Changes of any kind in the treaty between CSFR and FRG are inadmissible. This agreement is the outcome of Prague talks on February 5, between the German Foreign Minister K. Kinkel and President V. Havel, Premier V. Klaus and Foreign Minister J. Zieleniec. The major part of the talks was devoted to the problems of Sudeten Germans. According to V. Klaus, it was the German Minister himself who requested a debate on this topic. He said that he is under constant pressure from political groups in Germany to talk to his Czech partners exactly about this question. However, K. Kinkel does not want to burden the relations with CR with Sudeten problems. The Czech Premier repeatedly called the demands of Sudeten Germans unacceptable. The talks also touched upon the displacement of asylum seekers from Germany. The point is that CR refused to receive them until it is clear that they will be in turn received by the countries through which they came to us. "Asylum seekers are a problem which Germany cannot solve alone. She does not, however, shift it on the neighboring states, including CR," stressed K. Kinkel. Further, the German party recognized the necessity of compensation to Czech victims of Nazism. A concrete form of such compensations was not specified. Kinkel became the firat of Foreign Ministers to visit Prague after the breakup of Czechoslovakia. Ministers Of The Czech Government On The Romany Question Manifestations of ethnic and racial intolerance are something I do not want to experience in this country, said Premier Klaus after the Monday session of the Czech cabinet. It was an extraordinary session to discuss the Romany (informally known as Gypsy - transl.) question and demands which were handed to it by the representatives of the Romany Democratic Congress. Some of the demands were characterized by the Premier as realistic, e.g., consistent enforcement of the ban on fascist and racist groups. On the other hand, the requested changes in conditions for granting the Czech citizenship were rejected by the cabinet, with the comment that the citizenship law holds equally for all. In its petition, the Romany Democratic Congress demanded, for example, that having a clean criminal record for five years should not be a condition for granting of the citizenship. According to V. Klaus, there are three main causes of distress among the Romanys - the fear for individual life, caused by increasing activities of the skinheads, uncertainty of Romanys concerning their legal position which arose as a consequence of the breakup of CSFR and the determination of their citizenship, and their extraordinary social instability as a consequence of an economic transformation. Ambiguity about citizenship, as told by Klara Samkova, the deputy of the former Federal Assembly for the Romany Civic Initiative (ROI), is the concern of 200 thousand Romanys, and its roots go back to a 1969 law. At that time, the citizens of the federal Czechoslovakia became citizens of the Czech or Slovak Republic according to their place of birth. Children under 15 years acquired the citizenship of their parents. A number of Romany families who came originally from Slovakia but have lived on the territory of the Czech Republic, have consequently Slovak citizenship. A series of demands in the Romany petition is, according to Premier's words, two-edged. It is a reality that besides a feeling of threat to Romany population, there is a feeling of threat to the non- Romany population caused exactly by the activities of the Romanys. V. Klaus sees a solution to the Romany problem in adopting certain measures at the regional level. Apparently, conclusions reached by the Czech government, after it discusses the results of the Monday extraordinary cabinet session, will be passed to regional organs. A Sole Candidate For The President Of The Slovak Republic The former speaker of the Federal Parliament, Roman Kovac (Movement for Democratic Slovakia - HZDS) is the only Slovak presidential candidate for the second double round to take place on February 15, possibly even 16. By the deadline, the National Council of the Slovak Republic received also the nomination of Ivan Gasparovic, the present speaker of the parliament. However, he did not give his consent, so that one of the election regulations was not met. The presidential candidate for the opposition, the Rector of the Comenius University at Bratislava Juraj Svec, tied his running for the office to the support of all non- governmental parties. The fact that the Party of the Democratic Left expressed its support only orally, was construed by him as a violation of an agreement, and he withdrew about one hour before the close. To be elected Slovak President, Michal Kovac needs three fifths of all votes of the deputies of the National Council of the Slovak Republic. The License For CET 21 Took Effect On Tuesday, February 9, the Council of CR for Radio and Television Broadcasting approved by all 9 votes (that is, in full attendance) the conditions of licensing the CET 21 company for the aerial television broadcasting on the CT2 circuit . Representatives of CET 21 handed to the Council a written declaration that it accepts the license, including all supplementary conditions. This gave legal validity to the Council's decision from January 30 about granting the license. By the appropriate law, the company is given 360 days to prepare for the broadcasting, and the license is valid for 12 years. The decision was sharply criticized by some representatives and deputies, especially from ODS (Civic Democratic Party). P. Cermak (the acting deputy chairman of the ODS) characterized the result of the Council's session as a direct threat to the substance of this state, and CET 21 as a politically dangerous organization. "Until, after adding three members, the Council gives a second thought to its decision, we will, of course, seek further and further steps how to secure our rights," emphasized P. Cermak. He expressed doubts about the names of the persons participating on the project CET 21 (Fedor Gal - the chairman of the former Public Against Violence; Vladimir Zelezny - the spokesman for the former Czech Premier Pithart; Marc Palmer - on grounds of conflict of interest, he had to resign from the post of the US Ambassador to Budapest, presently President of CEDC). Also according to P. Cermak, the capital presence of the American company CEDC is too high. The chairman of the Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting, D. Korte (a member of the Civic Democratic Alliance), rejects all accusations. He stresses that the Council was duly elected by the Parliament, and that it decided on the granting of the license unanimously - by six votes. Not even the three members who were yet to be added to the Council, could not reverse the decision. D. Corte considers the decision valid and final, and considers screening according to political allegiance unacceptable. The distribution of capital in the project CET 21 (Central European Television for the 21. Century) is Czech (30%) and American (70%). Even V. Havel made his comments on the situation that formed around the granting of the license (see the following item). First Presidential Briefing On Monday, February 8, the first of regularly scheduled briefings of President V. Havel took place in the Prague Castle. He expressed his concern about the voices directed against the CET 21 company. In particular, he had in mind the words "failures" and "bankrupt politicians" in connection with the names of Fedor Gal and Vladimir Zelezny, who participate in the project CET 21. The President announced that he is going to meet the Czech government, the chairs of the coalition parties and the representatives of the parliament this week. They will talk about the relationship between the head of the state, the parliament, and the government. V. Havel also confirmed that his first trip abroad will be to Slovakia. After Premier Meciar expressed his wish to meet him, V. Havel authorized his office to set the most convenient date for the visit. V. Havel would attend to the inauguration of the Slovak President, provided that the supreme representatives of other neighboring states are invited. As is known, Vladimir Meciar did not attend Havel's inauguration on account of pre-occupation with work, and Slovakia was represented in Prague by the first vice-premier and an unsuccessful candidate in the first round of the presidential elections, Roman Kovac. The historian and political scientist Pavel Seifter became the director of the department for foreign politics of the Office of the President. The director of the department of interior politics has not been appointed. The chief of the Office is still Lubos Dobrovsky. The President also signed a letter of appointment of Filip Sedivy to the post of the Extraordinary Accredited Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the Slovak Republic. Education Threatened By Lack Of Funding In their address to the government and people of the Czech Republic, drawn up on Monday, February 8, the rectors of post-secondary schools pointed out the threat to the education. Mlada Fronta Dnes (Youth Front Today) reported on it on Tuesday. The cuts in the state budget for education forces universities and separate faculties to adopt emergency measures, e.g., by restructuring the school year. Summer semester lectures would have to be shifted, to take place from March 15 to June 30, the winter semester would start already on August 30 and end November 30. According to the provosts of the universities in the Czech Republic, these measures will render students' summer employment, including jobs abroad, impossible. Two Endowments Of Charter 77 The separation into two independent endowments, one located in Prague and the other in Bratislava, was decided upon by the Board of Directors of the Czechoslovak Endowment of Charter 77. SPORTS Ice Hockey The International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF turned down, without the possibility of appeal, Slovakia's application for a late admission into the C group of the World Championship. Thus, in the next season Slovakia will just be in the play-offs for the participation in the group. After 38 complete rounds of the Federal Hockey League, Litvinov still leads; but Sparta Praha in the second place has the same number of points - 49. Third-place Ceske Budejovice and fourth Trencin have 44 points each. The chance of the last-place Plzen to pass into the play- off is minimal. The league will continue February 16, after its representation taking part in the Swedish Hockey Plays. Brief News In the historically first match, the women's handball team of the Czech Republic defeated Slovakia 20:14. FIFA (Soccer Association) has announced that the selected team of Czech and Slovak soccer players will play in the qualification for World Championship under the English abbreviation RCS (Representation of Czechs and Slovaks). EXCHANGE RATES OF THE CZECH CROWN purchase sale FRG 1 DEM 17.13 18.05 USA 1 USD 28.44 29.84 UK 1 GBP 39.95 43.09 AUT 1 ATS 2.44 2.56 FRA 1 FRF 5.04 5.36 The rates are as of February 10. WEATHER Temperatures up to ten degrees centigrade higher in the mountains, compared with lowlands, and bad dispersion conditions in the cities are caused by an inverse character of the weather. Nightly temperatures range from -5 to 0 degrees Celsius, daily temperatures in the lowlands are near zero, in higher altitudes around five degrees Celsius. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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@n.fsv.cuni.cs To subscribe to CAROLINA you send an e-mail message to 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. To delete your subscription from the list you send the following message to LISTSERV@CSEARN.BITNET: SIGNOFF CAR-ENG or SIGNOFF CAR-CS