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.cz Fax: (+422) 24810987 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 109, Friday, March 11, 1994. EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (March 2 - 9) Czech President's speech in the European Parliament Vaclav Havel gave a speech on European integration and the European Union's mission to deputies of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, March 7. Havel said the European Union should adopt a charter defining its basic ideas and principles. If arguments about technical details on the union's existence ruined the project it would be a great mistake, Havel said. At a later press conference, Havel said that the Czech Republic would apply for a full EU membership when it considers this appropriate. Havel denied that the Czech Republic had never declared it would join the Union in conjunction with Poland and Hungary. Vaclav Havel visits Pope in Vatican President Vaclav Havel visited Pope John Paul II March 7. The pope said he was interested in Czech and Slovak relationships and expressed the wish that life in the Czech lands be in accordance with moral values. President Havel said in his speech that the Czech Republic is a state built on respect for human liberties and rights. The pope also spoke about property restitution claims unsettled between the state and the church, as well as the situation in the former Yugoslavia. During a later meeting with Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, Havel also spoke about the Balkans. "Dawn is beginning but, unfortunately, it is two years too late." Havel flew to Strasbourg the same day where Secretary General of the Council of Europe Catherine Lalumiere threw a special dinner in his honor. Vaclav Klaus negotiates with John Major Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus began an official two-day visit of Great Britain March 7, meeting with British Prime Minister John Major to discuss Czech integration into Western European structures. Klaus also talked to Major about possible sending Czech soldiers into Bosnia and Hercegovina. Klaus refused to answer a CTK question on his support for sending troops, saying he didn't want to speak before meeting government ministers on the topic. Klaus also met former prime minister Margaret Thatcher and Bank of Europe for Restoration and Development President Jacques de Larosier. Eduard Shevarnadze visits Vaclav Havel Georgia State Council Chairman Eduard Shevarnadze met the President Vaclav Havel March 6 to ask the Czech Republic, currently a member of the UN Security Council, to support Georgia in finding solutions Caucasus crises. Both politicians agreed that a Georgian Embassy, with competency also for the other countries in the region, would open soon in Prague. The Czech Republic is about to open the general Consulate in Tbilisi. Karel Kryl died Czech poet and musician Karel Kryl, described as an eternal rebel, a fighter for liberty, truth and nation's conscience, but most of all a sensitive man of wisdom, died March 3 of a heart attack. Kryl was legendary, with nearly all Czechs familiar with his songs. Kryl wrote about the lies and hypocrisy under the old regime, themes he continued after the revolution. The "post-November" developments were an unpleasant surprise for Kryl, who was crushed by the break-up of Czechoslovakia crushed him deeply. Kryl, who was 49, had been living in Germany and visiting his native country only occasionally. Kryl died in the Bavarian town of Passau. His albums include "Bratricku, zavirej vratka," "Rakovina," "Maskary," "Tekute pisky," "Dopisy" and others. Will Czechs abroad be allowed to vote? In an interview with Lidove Noviny, Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus said Czechs living abroad should not be eligible to vote for Czech Parliament deputies because they don't pay taxes. In another issue of the daily representatives of several other political parties argued with this opinion. According to Parliament Vice-Chairman Karel Ledvinka (Civic Democratic Alliance), limitation of the right to vote might be contrary to the constitution. Also second Parliament Vice-Chairman Jan Kasal (Christian Democratic Union - Czech People's Party) disagreed with Klaus's opinion. "The Parliament does not discuss only the budget, but also bills which can influence the lives of countrymen," Kasal said. He added that in his opinion the Czech countrymen are well informed about what is happening in the country and cannot profoundly influence the election results. Chairman of the Deputies Club of the Christian Democratic Party (KDS) Marek Benda sees "underneath" the effort to limit the voting right an irrational fear that the acceptance of this would encourage the nationalistic right-wing Republicans of Miroslav Sladek. He said all with Czech citizenship should have the right to vote. The state does not represent only the taxpayers, but all citizens which constitute the national society, Benda said. Shady Loan of KDU-CSL (Christian Democratic Union) Alleged Lidova demokracie (LD) daily carried an article February 26 alleging discrepancies in a loan KDU-CSL obtained from Leonell Mosca, an Italian enterpreneur who owns a number of night-clubs and publishes a local newspaper publisher. LD journalists Ivan Cervenka and Cestmir Franek reported that Josef Lux, chairman of KDU-CSL and Czech deputy premier, signed an agreement about establishing a joint-venture company "Charitas" with Mosca September 25, 1992. The Czech contribution to the joint-venture was the trademark of LD and the newspaper offices in Prague and Brno. Mosca was to invest technical equipment and know-how. A part of the deal was also the commitment of the new company to provide KDU-CSL a loan of 5 million crowns, the reporters wrote. According to LD journalists, as early as October 23, 1992, 3 million crowns were promised by Mosca to pay off the the LD debts to the printing company, Czech Typography, and thus to ward off the danger of stopping the printing of this daily. According to the report, the money was delivered to the bank account of the Czech Typography. However, KDU-CSL stepped back from the contract at the end of November, allegedly because of the unreliability of the Italian partner. The same is claimed by the Italians about the Czech side. In the meantime, all the LD debts have been paid by the new owner of the paper, Fidelis Schlee. Italian millions were deposited on the Czech Typography bank account for four months until KDU-CSL transferred them to its own account on Lux's request April 9, 1993. According to one of the Italian partners, Massimo Minciaroni, the money was to be returned, but the Italians "didn't see a single Lira," Lidova demokracie reported. "We are very disappointed about the non-trustworthy attitude of our partner, especially when the Czechs were represented by the deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Government, Josef Lux," Minciaroni said. Meanwhile, L. Mosca was arrested in Italy on January 10, 1993, on suspicion of drug smuggling. He was released on bail after a short time, and the investigation is still pending. According to the report, KDU-CSL still has the money gained from the Italian partners at its disposal and the party admits only that it failed to declare the foreign currency loan through an oversight. The published report was reprinted by some other newspapers and the case became an affair which once again opened the problem of political party financing. Questions were raised about whether the parties should present their complete budgets to the general public, if and how much they should be financed by the state, and if all the names of the donors should be announced. A majority of the political parties agreed on the common standpoint that they should be subsidized by the state to avoid the problems of survival and to prevent such scandals as the KDU-CSL one. They also said that donations should be allowed, and be tax-deductible, but opposed a duty to publish the names of donors. Czech Regions and Companies Hurt by Import Surtax, Klaus Says According to Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, the 10 percent import surcharge imposed by the Slovak Republic on March 3 will not have a big impact on the Czech economy. He also said the most visible result of the step will be limiting Czech exports to Slovakia. As a counter-step, the Czech Republic devalued the Czech Crown by 3 percent within the system of the reciprocial clearing settlement used in bilateral trade. According to Klaus, the current import surcharge is a better measure than the recent administrative restrictions of the food import to Slovakia. Klaus also said the Czech Republic is immediatelly ready to start the negotiation about abolishing so called "old-clearing bloc" devoted to the payments originating from the period before the separating of the old Czechoslovakian currency. According to Slovak side, the import surcharge will be applied to imports from all countries until July 1, 1994. Importers will pay the surtax at customs office on the Slovak side of border because some goods destined for other countries will be released into the "transit regime". The Social Support to the People Who Are in Need According to the draft of a bill about state subsidies and social support submitted to the parliamentary committees by the Czech Government, not all families would be eligible to get the social support - as was the earlier practice - but only those with incomes below certain limits. The limits would be fixed by the government based on an updated level of the current minimum living cost (2,100 crowns per month). According the proposal, child allowances would be paid by the state only to those families with income lower than 250 percent the living minimum (average salary = 5,800 crowns). If adopted, this law would change the social policy of the Czech Republic which now supports the population as a whole. The new policy would only address the needy. T.G Masaryk Born 144 Years Ago Monday The 144th birthday celebration of the first Czechoslovak president, was held Monday in Lany. The former president's grandchildren, Anna and Herbert, representatives of the president's office, representatives of the American, French, German, Israeli, Ukrainian, and Egyptian embassies, Sokol, Legionnaire, a scout representatives, and a delegation from the group Masaryk's Democratic Movement, all laid wreathes at the grave. Tomas Garrique Masaryk is buried with his wife and son, Jan. March 10 will also mark the 46th year since Jan Masaryk, the Czechoslovak Republic's last pre-Communist foreign minister, died under mysterious circumstances. FROM SLOVAKIA Democratic Left Party Still Refuses to Widen Government Coalition Negotiations about overcoming the governmental crisis between the ruling Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) and their main opposition, The Democratic Left Party (SDL) remain at a stand-still. The main hold-up is that the SDL will not agree to be in a coalition with the Slovak National Party (SNS), which is lead by a new chairman, Jan Slota. At the March 9 meeting of Parliament, President Michal Kovac sharply criticised the work methods and ethics of Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar. Former SNS chairman Ludovit Cernak Founds New Political Organization A founding meeting of the Slovak National-Democratic Party should take place sometime in March. Ludovit Cernak, kicked out of SNS, is the main initiator. Slovak Coalition Apparently Not Asserting Referendum President Michal Kovac will not call a referendum on holding early Slovak elections, following allegations that many signatures were unacceptable. Also, A. Bodis, Bratislava Castle speaker, said that the question of ending the terms of National Council deputies who leave their original parties is unconstitutional. The referendum was to address early elections, recall of deputies and requirements for proving the origin of privatization money. HZDS Vice-chairman Marian Husak handed the president a petition with more than 400,000 signatures, demanding that the referendum be called. The minimumm needed was 350,000 signitures. On March 4, the newspaper Rude Pravo announced that much of the petition didn't meet the legal requirements. In many cases, the individual lists weren't headed by questions that are supposed to be the object of the referendum. Addresses of the signers are often not exact or not complete. Legal signatures will amount to less than 350,000. CULTURE Placido Domingo to Appear in Prague The Spanish tenor Placido Domingo, accompanied by Romanian soprano Angela Georgieova, will appear April 24 in the Prague Sports Hall. The concert will be directed by American Eugene Khon. A part of the profits, including a donation from Domingo, will go towards child oncology. The budget of the concert is 15 million crowns, a sum as yet unheard of here for a classical music recital. Tickets will be cost from 390 to 3600 crowns. The Spanish member of the New York Metropolitan Opera will stay in the presidential suite at the Penta hotel. Creators of Popular Czech Music Awarded The annual awards of The Czech Academy of Popular Music were given Saturday in Prague. The Gramy awards are divided into many different categories, and honor the best creators in a given profession for the past year. Singer of the year went to Ivan Hlas. He also received the special award for music for the movie musical Years of the Jackal (The film was honored in the Czech Lion contest, which we wrote about in the last issue of Carolina) Lucie Bila was voted best female singer, and the group of the year was Yo Yo Band. The judges cast "Naked" by the group Wanastowy Vjecy as the best video clip. Jan and Frantisek Neved were voted best in the Folk and Country category, Piano player Karel Ruzicka was best jazz artist. The main Gramy award - signing into the hall of fame for a life's work - was awarded to Vladimir Misik. Karel Gott and the group Olympic were winners in the last two years. Jagger Junior in Lucerna Chris Jagger, younger brother of the famous Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, will perform in Prague's Lucerna on April 12. Chris's brother Mick, David Gilmour and other famous musicians worked on the project. Trio Escoude! Trio Escoude, performed a concert of gypsy jazz at the French Institute in Prague March 2. The assemble is highly regarded by the most demanding jazz audience. Kralicka's Bible Celebrates its Anniversary The Pedagogical Comenius Museum in Valdstejn's Palace in Prague hosted the exhibition of the final part of Kralick's Bible published in Kralice nad Oslavou. The fifth part of the Bible was published 400 years ago (1579- 1594). Exchange Rates of the Czech National Bank (valid from March 9 CHECKS CASH country Buy Sell Middle Buy Sell Great Britain 1GBP 44.267 44.711 44.489 43.07 45.91 France 1FRF 5.084 5.136 5.110 4.91 5.31 Italy 1000ITL 17.617 17.795 17.706 16.94 18.48 Japan 100JPY 28.155 28.437 28.296 27.00 29.60 Canada 1CAD 21.942 22.162 22.052 21.16 22.94 Netherlands 1NLG 15.386 15.540 15.463 14.98 15.94 Austria 1ATS 2.456 2.480 2.468 2.41 2.53 Germany 1DEM 17.271 17.445 17.358 16.90 17.82 Switzerland 1CHF 20.595 20.801 20.698 20.20 21.20 USA 1USD 29.759 30.059 29.909 29.21 30.61 EMS-ECU 1XEU 33.455 33.791 33.623 - - Slovakia 1XCU - - 33.623 - - Czech Rep. 1XCU - - 39.072 Sk*) *)the exchange rate listed by the Slovak National Bank Slovak crown in Czech Republic Czech crown in Slovak Republic Bank Buy Sell Bank Buy Sell --------------------------------------------------------------------- CSOB 0.86 0.90 CSOB v SR 1.18 1.24 Agrobanka 0.84 0.89 Vseob.uverova b. 1.07 1.17 Ceska sporitelna 0.80 0.82 Slov.st.sporit. 1.12 1.18 Invest.a post.b. 0.76 0.81 Ludova banka 1.14 1.20 Komercni banka 0.77 0.81 Slov.pol.banka 1.10 1.20 Business in Prague's Exchange Stock Starting next week Prague's stock exchange will be opened three days a week, on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Beginning the second half of 1994, the exchange will be opened each day. After March 1, when trades hit a record of 1.34 billion Czech crowns in an advancing market, the results of the last two sessions March 3 and 8 were disappointing and the majority of shares dropped. Shares in Cokoladovny Prague dropped from 10,000 to 9,500 Czech crowns, CEZ from 2,700 to 2,420 Czech crowns. ) Commercial Bank's New Shares After a sale of new shares of the Czech Republic's biggest financial institute, Commercial Bank, its property will rise from 7.5 to 9.5 billion Czech crowns. New shares of the nominal value of 2,000 Czech crowns will be offered for sale to owners of current 500 crown shares. During the first offering March 16- 30, owners of three to five shares will be allowed to buy one more, the owners of six to nine shares will be allowed two shares and so on. According to the manager of the Commercial Bank Richard Salzmann, the company had a 7.9 billion crowns gross profit last year according to the international audit. The balance of accounts rose from 6.4 billion crowns to 291 billion. SPORT Spring Round of Football Starts After a winter break, the Czech's football extra league started March 5-6 its 16th round with 8 matches. Fans of football enjoyed good play. The results of these matches show rising competition. The match Viktorie Zizkov- Liberec ended unexpectedly 3:4. On the other hand Slavie disappointed its fans with a scoreless tie with Plzen. Sparta Prague returned to Prague with two points for winning over Brno 2:0. This score brings Sparta ahead of Ceske Budejovice on the football board. Results of the 16th ground: FC Boby Brno-Sparta Prague 2:0, Slavie Prague-Victoria Plzen 0:0, Victoria Zizkov-Slovan Liberec 3:4, Dukla Prague-Svit Zlin 1:1, Ceske Budejovice-Vitkovice 1:1, Hradec Kralove-Banik Ostrava 1:0, Sigma Olomouc-Bohemians Prague 5:0 and Cheb-Petra Drnovice 2:0. Czech Championships in Biathlon Gabriela Surova and Roman Dostal became the new Czech champions in biathlon March 5. Both are members of SKP-Police's Sport Club-Jablonex Jablonec. Surova combined an outstanding 7.5 km cross-country skiing with accurate shooting. Surova's teammates Iva Knizkova and Jirina Adamickova-Pelcova finished second and third. Among men, Roman Dostal won over the Czech representatives Kos and Holubec in the 10 km cross country run. In the relay competition, SKP Jablonex came first in both men's and women's categories. WEATHER After cloudy, windy and rainy days we were looking forward to seeing the sun shining on Prague's roofs. Daily temperatures were between 3 and 15 Celsius degrees. At nights temperatures dropped below freezing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.cz To subscribe to CAROLINA you send an e-mail message to the address LISTSERV@CSEARN.BITNET or to the address: LISTSERV@EARN.CVUT.CZ 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@EARN.CVUT.CZ: SIGNOFF CAR-ENG or SIGNOFF CAR-CS Please, don't send automatic replies to our list. You can temporalily stop receiving of Carolna by sending the command: SET CAR-ENG NOMAIL The command should be sent to the address LISTSERV@EARN.CVUT.CZ