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 66, Saturday, March 13, 1993. FROM LAST WEEK'S EVENTS ( March 3-10,1993) Minister of Foreign Affaires, Josef Zieleniec in Brussels On Monday, March 8 a working meeting of the countries of the "Visegrad quartet" took place. Miniters of Foreign Affaires talked of the cooperation of the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia with the European Community. Slovakia was suprisingly represented by Milan Knazko whose participation had been rejected last week by premier Meciar. The decision was changed by the Slovakian government in premier's absence, but allegedly after a phone consultation. Slovakian ambassador at the Prague Castle The first Slovakian ambassador in the Czech Republic, Ivan Mjartan entered his office on Tuesday, March 9. In an interview with Czech president V. Havel Mjartan got acquianted with the Czech notions on the borderline system which he intends to tell to Slovakian vice-premier. On the same day the first Czech ambassador in Slovakia, Filip Sedivy handed his credentials to Slovakian prezident M. Kovac. At the same time he informed him of the results of Sunday's session of the Czech government considering the regime on the Czech-Slovak frontier. Then he left for Prague again because Bratislava had not prepared his office yet. "Jiri Svoboda has fullfiled his historic role in the party" said member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, V. Papez. At its Saturday's session the central committee turned down the proposal of the chairman of the party, Jiri Svoboda to change the name of the party. This will be a topic for a late-April internal discussion. Former deputy of the Federal Assembly, and Svoboda's close colleague, M. Ransdorf suggested that a vote of no-confidence be passed on the party's chairman. Even his removal was claimed. Jiri Svoboda himself considers the possibility of stepping down. His resignation is expected on Wednesday, March 10. Members of the Central Committee abolished the statute of the opinion-stream platform called For Socialism (a group around the last pre-November secretary of the city board of Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in Prague - M Stepan), but its followers including V. Papez still remain members of Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia in spite of J. Svoboda's suggestion. Czech currency improves The Czech crown improves as against the clearing ECU by two per cent as of March 8. This is the decision of Bank Council of the Czech National Bank. The Slovak crown had already devaluated as against ECU by five per cent allowed by the contract between the republics. The clearing ECU is a special unit used only for mutual payments between the enterprising subjects of Bohemia and Slovakia. A two per cent revaluation means that the Czech export will become more expensive and contrarywise the Slovak export will be cheaper. This measure should help Slovakia to handle the rapid growth of the passive balance in the trade with the Czech Republic which since the currency separation has reached one third of the agreed limit of the marginal credit. This credit is 130.000.000 ECU. In connection with that Minister of Finance of the Czech Republic, Ivan Kocarnik warned Czech enterpreuners before an uncertain export to the Slovakian market. Killing Flu Flu raging in Bohemia and Moravia since the end of January is a probable cause of three deaths in Nothern Moravia. The dead were a four-month baby, an eighteen-month boy and a 56 years old man after heart-attack. In their corpses viruses of the B type were found. The epidemy stricks Moravia the most, only in its nothern regions there are now 78.000 registered cases. In the whole republic there were 185 276 cases recorded on March 5.(from each 100.000 inhabitants 1950 are ill.) According to the chief hygienist of the Czech Republic, doc. Jaroslav Kriz the flu onset should be over by the end of this month. CULTURE British filmmakers in rennaissance chairs The representative rooms of Valdstejn's palace in Prague's Lesser Town belong among the most precious cultural monuments. Last week they were filled with British filmmakers who were working on the final parts of a TV series about Indiana Jones. Since Monday the rennaissance chairs had been occupied by technicians in filthy dungarees, about 300 people were hanging about the historical halls, heavy mettal ladders were leaning right against the wall paintings, butts were to be found everywhere. Moreover the contract of an economic administration of the Ministry of Culture and ETIC firm about the loan of the rooms from Tuesday 2 till Thursday, March 4 was signed for a ridiculous amount of 138.000 crowns. Deputy of the Minister of Culture, Jan Knezinek prohibited the movement of people in these rooms. Yet his order was not respected. OUR INTERVIEW In less than a year the first private television in the Czech Republic will launch broadcasting. The fact that the licence was given to CET 21 company caused a sharp polemics between the Council for Radio and TV broadcasting (which decides about the licence) and other participants to the public competition, and representatives of the strongest Czech party, ODS. CET 21 representatives do not react to attacks, therefore Vladimir Zelezny, the probable program director of the company, talked mainly of the prepared program schedule. You are obliged to start broadcasting within 365 days. Is that not too short a time? It is a murderous deadline. We are bound by strict condititions imposed by the Council for TV and Radio Broadcasting under a big political pressure. No other private or public television in the world has such conditions as we do. What is your notion of the future program schedule? First of all we cannot be an exclusive TV because we have to earn our living and the only way to achieve that is commercials. Appropriations and licensee fees will be denied to us contrarywise to a public TV. Therefore in four fifths we will be a common TV oriented to amusement, relaxation, thrill and so on. We want to shun stupidness and a tabloid-like view, of course. Most of the programes will be bought. What about news service? We will make approximately one fifth of the programes ourselves, and main of all we will produce a quality news service. We emphasize an objectivity which we want to achieve mainly by a strict separation of commenting and personal attitudes. The documentary programs will aim at pathological aspects of the society as crime, homosexuality, xehophobia. We also plan an everyday several minutes lasting program "Just today" where some famous persons should talk about the particular day from a historical point of view. We would also like to establish a public-access TV in the Czech Republic, this means that every person who wants to communicate something to the others should be given an opportunity. For example, we will install boxes in Prague where having casted a coin you can say what you like for a certain time and the record can and does not have to be telecasted. In what way do you want to differ from the today's Czech TV? First of all we want to remove the clumsiness which is sometimes apparent with the Czech TV. We will make use of seeming trifles like a catchy graphic design, interesting logo... We will be about seven times smaller that the Czech TV which demands more intenzive work. Quality employees will be given a good pay, of course. We must be always present at the market and only broadcasting is not enough.We have to bring attention to ourselves all the time and thus arise the viewers'interest on which we existencially depend. Our financial situation in the first three years will reflect the necessity to redeem debts which are necessary for the start of broadcasting. Yet I hope that we will be a dignified competitor to the public TV from the very beginning. Thank you for the interview. Jakub Camrda EXCHANGE RATE OF CZECH CROWN buy sell GB 1GBP 40.66 43.80 BRD 1DEM 17.10 18.02 USA 1USD 28.49 29.89 CAN 1CAD 22.59 24.15 FRA 1FRF 5.02 5.34 AUT 1ATS 2.44 2.56 The rates as of March 9, 1993. SPORT Hockey League Teams who after the basic part finished on the first four places succeeded in the quarter-final of the federal hockey league. In a duel of two Slovakian teams Trencin easily set aside Kosice 3:0 at matches (individual contests 5:1, 4:2, 4:2). Litvinov handled Pardubice also in three matches whose course was much more balanced than had been expected from a first and a for a long time last team (3:2, 6:3, 4:0). Prague's Sparta decided of its progress in the semi-finale as last as in the fourth match with Southern Moravian Zlin (5:0, 5:2, 2:3, 4:2). The fourth semi-finalist is still not clear because the duel between Vitkovice and Kladno is balanced after the fourth contest 2:2 (2:1, 5:4, 2:4, 0:3). Sparta did not hit the ball Two other matches had to be deterred due to a bad playing field in the 18th round of the football league. Now leading Sparta Praha (24 points) will play in an extra time with Ceske Budejovice on April 23, and Dukla Praha with Banik Ostrava on April 22. In the contest for the second place Slavia Praha (23 points) beat DAC Dunajska Streda (23points) 1:0, Slavia is now thanks to a better score the second. The fourth Slovan Bratislava (22 points) did not overcome Presov (1:1). The last remains Trnava (9 p.) who lost to Olomouc 3:0. World figure-skating after 31 years back in Prague After 31 years Prague again fates the World Mastery in Figure-skating. The ceremony was opened on Tuesday at 7 pm. Since Sunday the participants had been going through the qualification for the main competition. The world mastery takes place for the fourth time on the territory of Czech lands. The first time its was in 1908 in Opava, than 31 years later in Prague and here again 1962. Slovakia faced the world mastery in 1973 in Bratislava. The world mastery arrangement was assigned to Czechoslovak figure-skating association and therefore the audience will see a common team of the Czech and the Slovak Republic. WEATHER March started with thaw in lowlands and under-average temperatures. Daily they climb up to maximum 5 degrees above zero, nightly drop 5 to 10 below zero. Mountain regions provide a sufficient layer of snow and nice sunny weather for skiers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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