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 69, Friday, April 2, 1993. FROM LAST WEEK EVENTS (March 24-31) Slovakian prezident in Prague Prezident of the Slovak Republic, Michal Kovac came on Tuesday, March 30 for the first official visit to the Czech Republic. During his two-day stay he visited prezident of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havelf and interpreted him a good political will to solve the open questions between both the states. The prezidents talked mainly about the property separation treaty which according to Kovac could have been signed already by premier Vaclav Klaus at his visit to Bratislava. Kovac also said that it is necessary to establish border crossings between the Czech and the Slovak Republic due to checking of foreigners from third countries. Movement of citizens of both the republics should not be restricted. Both prezidents agreed on meeting themselves at least three times a year. Ministers of Finance, Ivan Kocarnik and Julius Toth signed contracts about establishing border crossings and a cooperation at them. The contracts specify particular customs crossings on roads and railways and modify conditions for their common use. Svoboda remains the chairman of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia Jiri Svoboda "survived" another attempt of him being removed from his post. This happened at an extraordinary session of the Central Committee of the party. The aim of its initiators was to remove not only Svoboda but also other reformists from the executive committee of the party. Members of the central committee agreed that the representatives of the "For Socialism" platform violated the rules of the party, and assigned the basic organizations to finish a membership in the party of M. Stepan, J. Obzina and V. Papez, the protagonists of the pre-November party leadership. The session decided that an extraordinary congress be summoned which in June should deal with a change of title of the party, and preparation of communal election. Strike of subway drivers called off Subway drivers wanted to go on strike on April 1 for higher wages. On Wednesday morning the strike was called off. The drivers demanded a wage increase from 8500 till 13.500 crowns monthly without overtime hours, which is by 70 percent. Drivers in the railway get on the average 6.700 crowns including the overtime hours, average before-tax earnings in the Czech Republic were 4677 Kc in March. Minister of the transport, Jan Strasky called the claims of the subway drivers exaggerated. If the strike should come to effect, according to Mayor of Prague, Milan Kondra, a crisis committee of the capital would publish the names and addreesses of the organizors of the strike. According to daily Lidove Noviny, no quality paper would publish a list like that. The editor-in-chief deputy in daily Mlada Fronta Dnes said that such an approach towards the subway drivers is regarded impertinent by a paper in a democratic society. One day before the planned beginning of the strike the Transport Company raised the subway drivers salaries by 33 percent (until now 5340). New label of Czech products Made in Czech Republic is recommended as information about the country of the goods origin by the ministery of economy and trade. This should apply to Czech producers even for goods exported to Slovakia. More expensive flights between the republics The tarifs for air transport between the Czech and the Slovak Republic will be increased by 86 per cent. For example a flight ticket from Prague to Bratislava will cost 1750-2900 crowns. Special advantages are for men above 60 years and women above 55 years, for students and pupils between 12 and 24 years of age. Gipsies in the United Nations According to daily Svobodne Slovo Czech Gipsies were accepted in the Organization of United Nations. Led by chairman of Gipsy Civic Initiative (ROI) E. Scuka, they demanded to be accepted in the United Nations. They were interested mainly in the statute designed for non-governmental organisations. As a representative of ROI said, this means that they have not only a statute of observers but also a possibility to present proposals and particularly to partake at the United Nations activities. She also pointed out that Gipsies could thus participate on international life though they are not a nation. Community of Writers This year's appropriation for the Community of Writers will be diminished by more than a half as against last year, said Milan Jungman, chairman of the community at the fifth general assembly of the organization. This is the end of trips abroad and support of cultural activities supported by the community of writers. By June 30 the Community has to leave the house at Narodni Avenue because the new owner gave them notice of cancellation. Ecology, young journalists and black humour Ecology is still in the centre of attention of citizens as well as of the media. Therefore this was the theme of French and Czech students who in the frame of their journalist workshops prepared from March 9-28 a common Frech-Czech magazine. This project financed by TEMPUS foundation, took place for the first time at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Prague. Students worked in paires on gathering material, they made interviews (for example ex-minister of the environment, ing. J. Vavrousek), they set out to nothern Bohemia to back up data about catastrophic living conditions of people and particularly children. Another group searched around and in Temelin nuclear power plant, two students explored the state of forests in Krkonose mountains, others wrote about smog in Prague, about the endangerment of sources of drinking water, about ecology acts and ecological initiatives. The work of the students will be published not only in the faculty magazine but also in some Czech and French magazines. EXCHANGE RATE OF THE CZECH CROWN buy sell USA 1USD 28.13 29.53 BRD 1DEM 17.26 18.18 GB 1GBP 41.55 44.39 CAN 1CAD 22.31 23.91 FRA 1FRF 5.02 5.42 AUT 1ATS 2.46 2.58 TURIST RATE OF SLOVAK CROWN (Kc for 100 Sk) buy sell Agrobank 92.00 97.00 Czech Savings Bank 90.00 96.00 Bank of Investments 87.00 92.00 Commercial Bank 83.00 87.00 The rates as of March 31, 1993. FROM SLOVAKIA Knazko left the Movement for democratic Slovakia At the weekend assembly of MDS Vladimir Meciar was re-elected the chairman of the movement. 183 candidates voted for him. Milan Knazko obtained 41 votes. New vice-chairmen are Olga Keltosova (minister of labour and social affaires), Roman Zelenay and Lubomir Dolgos (minister for the privatization). Knazko accused Meciar of using a " method of wrong statements". According to him, MDS is also deformed by director of Meciar's office, Anna Nagyova, and manager of the office of the Slovak government, Ivan Lexa, whom Knazko labelled as intriguers. According to chairman in honour of the Slovak National party, J. Prokes, Knazko could be a desired member of the party. Property separation, state border-line and Slovakian prezident Slovakian prezident Michal Kovac gave an interview for Czech daily Lidove noviny. As far as the property separation between the republics is concerned, he said that the Slovak government is willing to sign it anytime. Though the treaty had already been initialed by ministers of finance, Czech side made certain objections. But the Slovak side never said that she accepted Czech National Bank outstanding debts as against the Slovak National Bank. The only trouble is what should be cut from the debts (balance is 24.700.000.000 crowns). According to prezident Kovac, the Czech Republic owes the Slovak Republic apart from others also an appropriation of Slovak Development Bank of Investments of 1.500.000.000 crowns, then one third of portions from the former Federal Fund of National Property and from the basic capital of Bank of Consolidation peaking at 1.800.000.000 Kcs. Slovakia accepted an offer of paying this debt to the Czech Republic by 2003. But allegedly they did not prepare any proposal of such a treaty. Slovakia did not put any of Czech claims coming from the property separation into doubt. The claim of the Czech Republic that between both the republics there should be the same border-line as between other European states , is regarded as a step out of the so far signed treaties by Michal Kovac. These treaties have until now ensured a free passage over the border-line. They do not solve worries that citizens from third countries could illegaly get to Slovakia from Hungary, Ukraiine or Poland. This problem must be solved by both the sides. SPORT Slavia in the lead 21st round of Football League Due to bad weather three matched were deterred because of an unsuitable playing field: Presov-Bohemians, Vitkovice-Olomouc and Slovan-Ceske Budejovice. Slavie (29p) got to the lead in the charter having beaten recently leading Sparta (28p) 2:0. The third place belongs to Dac Dunajska Streda (28p) after a victory over Trnava 1:0. The last Dukla Praha lost again, this time to Inter Bratislava 1:2, and is bravely heading to participate in the future Czech League. Hockey League Final Sparta Praha became the last master in the history of the Federal Hockey League. In the final of the 50th year of this competition Sparta beat Vitkovice 3:1 on matches. First Praha won at home 5:3, in the second match they ensured their victory 2:1 after extra time. Both reprisals in nothern-Moravian Ostrava (Vitkovice is Ostrava's outskirts) finished with the same result - 5:4 for Sparta. Sparta was master in 1989-90 season. In the last match for the third place Trencin beat Litvinov 4.3 and ensured thus the League bronze for its team. In the next year's only Czech Hockey League second-league teams Jindrichuv Hradec and Hradec Kralove will participate. Tennis Davis Cup Tennists from the Czech and the Slovak Republic beat in the first round of Davis Cup tennists from Denmark 4:1. In singles the first was Korda and the second Novacek, only Damm lost. In doubles our pair Korda, Suk won. In the second round our tennis players will play in Germany. WEATHER Winter still has not withdrawn. After a very warm period it got significantly cold in the middle of last week. Temperatues drop nightly to zero or even 5 below zero, in the mountains 10 below zero. During the day they fluctuate around zero of several degrees below zero. Since Saturday it has been snowing, there are 10-50 centimetres of new snow in the mountains, in several place in Moravia snowdrifts caused a calamity. There was snow in Prague, too, but it melted immediately. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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