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 Faculty of Social Science of Charles University Smetanovo nabr. 6 110 01 Prague 1 Czech Republic e-mail: CAROLINA@cuni.cz tel: (+42 2) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+42 2) 24810987 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 157, Friday, April 28, 1995. EVENTS FOR THE WEEK APRIL 19-26 Ukrainian President Visits Czech Republic for First Time Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma met with Vaclav Havel at Prague Castle April 25. The Czech president promised to support Ukraine's admission to the Council of Europe, which will be chaired this year by the Czech Republic. Their talks focused on Czech-Ukrainian relations, which both statesmen said were problem-free. Also they discussed the export of strategic raw materials from Turkmenistan and the Russian Federation across the Ukraine to the Czech Republic. Later, Kuchma also met with Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus. The Ukrainian president was interested mainly in the Czech Republic's experiences with privatization and the restructuring of its tax system. On Wednesday the presidents signed a pact on friendship and mutual cooperation. Lukas Zentel/Andrea Snyder Olomouc Prepares for Pope's Visit in May At a former military airport in Olomouc-Neredine, a 150-meter-long horseshoe-shaped altar is being built for a visit to the north Moravian town of Olomouc by Pope John Paul II, who will be beatifying Jan Sarkander and Zdislava of Lemberk. Specialists from the Ministry of the Interior will be working along with builders at the site to clear the airport of any ammunition left behind by the Soviet Army before the Pope arrives. The costs of the Pope's visit, estimated at nearly 20 million Kc, will be covered mainly from collections during church services. Muhammad Shah/Andrea Snyder New Law Aims to Cut Back on Smoking Czech Parliament adopted April 19 an amendment to the law on prevention of alcoholism and other drug abuse intended to make life more difficult for smokers and tobacco companies. One important change is an increase in the minimum age for the purchase of tobacco products from 16 years to 18, intended to reduce smoking among young people. The law further bans smoking at workplaces, where non-smokers could be exposed to passive smoking, as well as at medical facilities, meetings, conferences, schools, cultural venues, indoor sports arenas, and even in restaurants. Fines for violation of this law will be levied not on smokers but on the establishment where the violation occurs, with a maximum penalty of 200,000 Kc. Cigarette manufacturers will now be required to fill at least 20 percent of the space on the front of the pack with a warning of the harmful effects of smoking. The law also calls for gradually reducing tar content and bans cigarette vending machines. Reactions to the new law varied. Milan Uhde, chairman of Parliament, believes that prohibition of smoking in the Parliament building will not be very effective. Deputy Premier Jan Kalvoda went so far as to call it an attack on human rights. From Rude pravo by Michal Vynohradnyk/Andrea Snyder Earth Day in the Czech Republic On Saturday, April 25, people all around the Czech Republic demonstrated to save the environment. The occasion was Earth Day, a tradition started by American students in 1970. Young Praguers performed skits with ecological themes, parading around the city carrying inflatable models of the Earth over their heads with slogans expressing fears for the world's future. In Zlin, children and adults tied slips of paper with their personal promises to help save the environment to the branches of a symbolic tree. At the zoo-park in Chomutov, Northern Bohemia, Earth Day participants unveiled a stone funeral mound dedicated "To the Victims of Man" and featuring a plaque with the names of 20 animal species that humans have exterminated. This summer, park workers want to build an entire graveyard for extinct animals, with an open grave reserved for other animals, including man. Martin Kupka/Andrea Snyder Zeman Reelected Chairman of Social Democrats Milos Zeman was confirmed in his post as leader of the most powerful opposition party in the Czech Republic on Saturday, winning 314 out of 374 votes at the 27th congress of the Czech Party of Social Democrats (CSSD) in Bohumin. Thirty-seven delegates voted against Zeman, and 23 votes were invalid. The congress also elected five vice chairs from 11 candidates, with the most votes in the first round going to Petra Buzkova (242) and Kvetoslava Korinkova (222). Joining the two women as CSSD vice chairs were Vaclav Moravek, Karel Machovec and Vaclav Grulich. Zeman told the congress he believes in a future social democratic government in the Czech Republic and that the Social Democrats' chances for electoral success begin the moment they attain 25 percent support in opinion polls (currently, according to the Center for Empirical Research, CSSD has the backing of 21 percent of the Czech voters). Zeman described the CSSD as offering the sole viable alternative to the current government's policies, saying the dispute with Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus' Civic Democratic Party (ODS) was "a conflict with the Czech mutation of Thatcherism." CSSD delegates approved an outline of the party's campaign platform and renewed their backing for the 1993 CSSD congress resolution not to work with any extremist political parties. According to the resolution, these parties are the Assembly for the Republic-Czechoslovak Republican Party (SPR-RSC), the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM), the Left Bloc (LB), the Party of the Democratic Left (SDL), the Moravian National Party (MNS) and the newly founded Party of Czechoslovak Communists (see above). Following a debate behind closed doors, the CSSD delegates withheld approval of economic secretary Ivan Havlicek's report on party finances. Havlicek told the congress that CSSD's financial situation was "absolutely critical" as a result of its disputed ownership of the party headquarters building. CSSD's debt at the moment is more than 80 million crowns. Stepanka Kucerova/Martina Vojtechovska Will the Left Wing Unite? The Party of the Democratic Left (SDL) is proposing an alliance to the Left Bloc (LB) for the 1996 parliamentary elections. SDL and LB both split off from the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM), the direct successor to the former Czechoslovak Communist Party, and are composed largely of reform Communists. LB chairman Jaroslav Ortman, however, said he proposed that SDL candidates appear on the LB slate, and not as an independent party. Said Ortman, "This would be a useless dissipation of strength, and it would be a pity if the votes that should be oriented on the clearly named party Left Bloc were dispersed." He said LB's goal, unlike that of the Social Democrats, was not to enter the government immediately but to craft a coalition for change. One way to do this, said Ortman, is to ally all the left-wing parties, including the strongest. "Given the stance of the Social Democrats, however, I do not consider this a viable possibility," he said. Social Democrat chairman Milos Zeman said that the addition of SDL to the LB slate would not influence the number of votes it received since SDL had zero voter support in the last public opinion poll. "The Social Democrats are not considering any cooperation whatsoever with the Left, (we) will go into the parliamentary elections independently," he said. Stepanka Kucerova/Jiri Chvojka Former Communist Prominent Sets Up New Party Former Prague Party boss Miroslav Stepan was elected general secretary of the Party of Czechoslovak Communists (SCK) at the party's founding congress last weekend. "Our goal is the restoration of socialism," Stepan told the 309 delegates to the congress. Stepan spent a total of 15 months in prison, from 1990 to 1991, for abuse of power as a public official (see Carolina no. 153). Speakers at the SCK congress lashed out at the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM), saying the SCK was the only true successor to the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSC), which ruled the country from 1948 to 1989. As such, Stepan's party intends to claim the property that the KSCM "inherited" from its predecessor, the KSC. Also the SCK, which claims 20,000 members, does not recognize the 1992 split of Czechoslovakia into independent Czech and Slovak states. Jiri Chvojka Kahanek Case Continues - Prison Director Dismissed Czech Minister of Justice Jiri Novak dismissed the general director of the Prison Facilities, Zdenek Karabec, April 24, one day after four prison guards in Horni Slavkov were charged with the manslaughter of Frantisek Kahanek, who was being held on charges of brutally murdering a 10-year-old boy. The guards are also being charged with abuse of power by a public official. According to State Attorney Augustin Hrboticky, the police are also investigating the possibility of a connection between the guards and the father of the murdered child, Zdenek Belica, who is also an employee of the Prison Facilities. The Horni Slavkov guards have been placed in individual cells to keep other prisoners from attacking them. It is still possible that the policemen who arrested and interrogated Kahanek on Friday, April 7, and escorted him to the court the next day, may also have played a role in Kahanek's death. Ministry of Justice spokesman Vladimir Voracek expressed doubts about the future of the Prison Facilities general office. If this office were abolished, the Ministry of Justice would assume its functions, as is common practice in other European countries. Otakar Osmancik, director of the Institute of Criminology and Social Prevention, Osmancik, said this model was the one used in interwar in Czechoslovakia, and that it was not until after World War II that the Soviet model was adopted, subordinating the Prison Service to the Interior Ministry. Karabec's first deputy director, Jiri Maly, was named to replace Karabec temporarily. From Mlada fronta Dnes by Jakub Knezu/Vera Vitkova Inventor of Contact Lenses Receives Honorary Academic Title Otto Wichterle (1913- ), the founder of macromolecular chemistry and the inventor of an application gel for contact lenses, received an honorary doctorate of technology on Tuesday from the Czech Institute of Technology. Tomas Kopecny Charles University Gets Its Own Magazine Starting in April, Charles University will begin publication of its own fortnightly magazine, called "Forum." The magazine will be published under the aegis of the university's rector, and according to Rector Karel Maly is intended to be an "integrating element for our diverse and complex university community, facilitating not only the publication of information that is essential for its existence but also the exchange of opinions and discussion that remains the very essence of academic life." In addition to articles about goings-on at Charles University, "Forum" will offer information on new academic books, seminars and cultural events. It will also be available on Internet; its e-mail address is: forum@cuni.cz. Martina Krizkova/Katerina Rus Are We Truly Evil or Just Not Good Enough? According to a poll by the Institute for Public Opinion Research, almost one-third of the Czech population does not tolerate poor people, retired people, foreigners and people with different political opinions. Almost half of the Czechs surveyed said they had reservations towards rich people and homosexuals, and 85 percent said they could not tolerate Romanies. However, almost all of the respondents said they got along with everyone. Martina Krizkova/Katerina Rus Rescuers Find Body of Vavrousek's Daughter After a month-long search, the Tatra Mountain Rescue Service found the body of 19-year-old Petra Vavrouskova, in the valley of Parichvost pod Jaloveckym sedlem. She was the daughter of former Minister of the Environment Josef Vavrousek. Rescuers found the body of her father 50 meters higher up on the same slope at the end of March, where they were trapped by an avalanche in mid-March. For more information about the tragedy, see Carolina nos. 153 and 155. (Editor's Note: One of our readers has pointed out that it was the Czechoslovak national anthem that was played at Vavrousek's funeral, and not, as we wrote, the Czech national anthem. We apologize for the error.) Martin Kupka/Andrea Snyder Miss Czech Republic 1995 Crowned Seventeen-year-old Monika Zidkova of Kravar u Opavy was crowned the most beautiful woman in the Czech Republic on Saturday in Karlovy Vary's Grand Hotel Pupp. Zidkova, measuring 175 cm tall, with a figure of 85-58-92, was the youngest of the 12 finalists in this year's beauty pageant. "I didn't believe that I'd win," she told reporters afterwards. Zidkova will graduate from the Pedagogical High School in her hometown this year. Among the prizes she won was a KIA Sportage automobile. First runner-up was Katerina Kasalova, a 19-year-old student from Pardubice. Second runner-up was Renata Hornofova from Prague, aged 20. Michaela Bergotova of Brno received the Miss Press. (Note: If you would like to see a photograph of the most beautiful women in the Czech Republic, e-mail us at Carolina at carolina@cz. cuni and we will send you a TIF-picture, about 200 kB.) Martina Vojtechovska/Katerina Rus They Said Their Vows in the Underground Czech Pavla Bratska, 39, and American Fred Reed, 49, were married in the vestibule of the Prague Metro station Luziny. They walked down the aisle of escalators in the presence of about 60 onlookers, and their lives were wedded in matrimony by the Mayor of Jihozapadni Mesto and the bride's brother, Pavel Bratsky. The ceremony, held according to all the rules under a hastily hung state emblem, had to be interrupted twice due to arriving subway trains. The newlyweds met in Florida, where they plan to live, and chose to marry in the Metro because the palm trees in the vestibule reminded the bridegroom of his Floridian home. Jirka Schneider Divorce Rate on the Rise According to demographic studies, the number of divorces per 1,000 inhabitants is much higher in the Czech Republic than the European average, with the number increasing each year. While in 1992 there were 28,500 divorces, in 1994 the figure grew to 31,000. In the last year the courts turned down more than 300 divorces. Jana Maruskova/Jirka Sch. NEWS IN BRIEF * After their first meeting April 25, top officials of the Civic Democratic Party and the Christian Democrats announced that if they could agree, they would appear together on the ODS ballot in the 1996 parliamentary elections. * The current US ambassador will be replaced by Jennone Walker, a close aide of Bill Clinton's and former director of the U.S. National Security Council's Department for European Affairs. * Slovak Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar proposed that preparatory meetings for the May talks between him and his Czech counterpart, Vaclav Klaus, be held in the first 10 days of May. * More than 10,000 people have signed a petition against the court's verdict in the case of sculptor Pavel Opocensky, whose case we covered in Carolina nos. 153 and 154. * Talks last week between Czech Foreign Minister Jozef Zieleniec and his Chilean counterpart, Jose Miguel Insulza, focused on economic relations between the two countries. * The first round of high school entrance exams was held for some 160,000 pupils on Tuesday, April 25. * According to the Czech Statistics Institute, the population of the Czech Republic dropped to 10,330,518 in 1994, a loss of 937 people over the year before. Jana Maruskova and Vera Vitkova ECONOMICS/BUSINESS Promising Talks on Czech Oil Industry Economics Minister Vladimir Dlouhy held talks on Monday with representatives of the International Oil Consortium (IOC) on the possibility of the IOC investing in the Czech oil refineries of Kralupy nad Vltavou and Litvinov. Dlouhy and the IOC - grouping Agip, Total, Conoco and Shell - agreed to sign a contract by the end of June. Tomas Kopecny Prime Minister's Wife Joins Third Board of Directors Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus' wife Livia was nominated to the board of directors of the firm ZVVZ Milevsko at the stockholders' meeting of the Sporitelni investicni spolecnost (Savings Investment Company) last Thursday. "The moment there is a law labelling this a true conflict of interest, I will either resign or divorce (my husband) Klaus", she said. Livia Klausova has been a member of the Ceska sporitelna (Czech Savings Bank) supervisory board since 1993, and last year she was appointed to the supervisory board of CEZ (Czech Energy Works), the monopoly power supplier in the Czech Republic. Jindrich Jirasek/Martina Vojtechovska Exchange Rates of the Czech National Bank (April 28) Checks Cash country buy sell middle buy sell Great Britain 1 GPB 43.663 44.101 43.882 42.46 45.30 France 1 FRF 5.224 5.276 5.250 5.05 5.45 Japan 100 JPY 27.564 27.842 27.703 26.40 29.00 Canada 1 CAD 19.395 19.589 19.492 18.60 20.38 Austria 1 ATS 2.568 2.594 2.581 2.52 2.64 Germany 1 DEM 18.071 18.253 18.162 17.70 18.62 Switzerland 1 CHF 21.479 21.695 21.587 21.09 22.09 USA 1 USD 27.435 27.711 27.573 26.87 28.27 Slovakia 1 XCU -- -- 34.342 -- -- CULTURE International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary Pays Off Debts The Czech Ministry of Culture has begun preparing for the 30th annual international film festival in Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad), Western Bohemia, by paying off the festival's debt of 7.5 million crowns. This year's festival will feature 140 films in 14 categories, with 16 motion pictures competing for the main prize of the Crystal Globe. For 1995 the festival's organizers have prepared a special category of films dealing with the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II and the 100th anniversary of motion pictures. Some of the celebrities expected to attend this year's event are Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida, British director Ridley Scott, and Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren, who filmed his last movie "The Shooter" in Prague. American director David Lynch will serve as chairman of the festival jury. Tomas Kopecny Prague Company Denies Blame for Problems of American Filmmakers Prague International Films (PIF) has denied accusations made by the chief producer of the American motion picture "Mission: Impossible" that the film crew was overcharged for the use of the Liechtenstein Palace during shooting in April. Roger Hitchcock told a reporter for the Czech News Agency (CTK) in London that filming in Prague had been problematic and that the film crew had been forced to pay 10 times more for the use of the palace than the 50,000 crown per day fee contained in a fax PIF sent before the film crew came to Prague. But PIF's chief, Oldrich Mach, said, "The letterhead on the fax is reversed and, contrary to our standard practice, it is missing the cover page with the information on who is writing to whom. As far as I'm concerned, the fax was never sent." Also Mach said PIF was considering suing the Americans for damaging the firm's reputation as a story about Hitchcock's accusations had appeared on CNN television as well as in other international media. Ludek S. Stanek/Jiri Chvojka SPORTS Czech Kickers Turn in Best Performance in 10 Years versus Holland The Czech national soccer team Wednesday night defeated the Netherlands, quarterfinalists in the last World Cup, 3-0, in a qualification match for Euro 96, the European championships. The Dutchmen started out strong, Jonk's shot from 25 meters out in the first half going straight into the corner of the Czech goal. After halftime the Dutchmen, who normally place priority on their strikers, strengthened their defense. They soon paid the price for that, thanks to the heads of two Czech players - Skuhravy and Nemecek - who returned to the Letna Stadium where they once played for Sparta Praha. Finally Berger made the score definitive with a goal on a free kick. Skuhravy turned in his best performance since the 1990 World Cup, while Holland's goalkeeper de Goey was responsible for two of the goals scored against him. In their qualification group for the European championships the Czechs are now tied for second with the Netherlands, though they still have one more match to play. Norway leads the group with a five-point advantage over both Holland and the Czech Republic. Mirek Langer Two Wins for Czechs to Start World Ice Hockey Championship Finland was not equal to the aggressive play of the Czech skaters, and especially the performance by Czech goalkeeper Roman Turek, falling to the Czechs 3-0 Sunday at the world hockey championships in Sweden. Turek and Belohlav, whose 19th-minute shot found a crack between the pads on Myllys' legs, gave the Czech team reassurance, as they made it through one minute in the second period with two players in the penalty box. In the third period Horak failed to convert on a penalty shot, but Meluzin sealed the win in the last 20 minutes with a goal just under the crossbar, and then Dopita closed out the match with a score into Finland's empty net when the Finns pulled their goalie in the closing minutes. The Czechs' victory over Austria on Wednesday was like a dessert compared to the win agains the Finns. Czech goalie Briza did not see any shots for a full half of the first period, which the Czechs came out of with a 3-0 lead thanks to goals by Prochazka, Vykoukal and Srsen. But the Czechs then slowed down and the Austrians turned it to their advantage, getting goals from Kerth and Kalt in the second period. This woke up the Czechs, and two more goals, by Prochazka and Zemlicka guaranteed the outcome, 5-2. Mirek Langer Slovak Hockey Goes on Victory Ride Through "B" World Championships After one year, Slovakia's national ice hockey team will move back into the major leagues. Thanks to performances by players like Peter Stastny, who once wore the uniform of the Czechoslovak national squad, the Slovaks won this year's B-team world championship, held in Slovakia, without giving up a single point and will advance to the A-group for next year's tournament in Vienna. Just one non-Slovak - Lithuania's goalkeeper Naumovs - was named to the tournament's all-star team, along with five Slovak skaters: Svehla, Sekeras, Petrovicky, Stastny and Satan. Results: Slovakia vs. Great Britain 7:3, vs. Japan 9:3, vs. Poland 10:0, vs. Lithuania 4:3, vs. the Netherlands 13:4, vs. Denmark 6:2, vs. Romania 11:0. Mirek Langer Czech Under-21s Repeat Tie with Netherlands In a battle to qualify for the European championships, the Czech under-21 soccer squad led over its Dutch opponents twice only to finish the match Tuesday with a 2-2 draw. Vavra, the best player of the match, held in Teplice, Northern Bohemia, got the ball rolling, but before long the Czech defense opened up to Holland's Korsten. After a save by the Czech keeper, Oulida took the rebound and tapped the ball into the empty net for an easy goal. Rounding out the scoring for the first half was Lokvenc for the Czechs. In the second half the Czechs retreated to defense in an attempt to protect their one-goal lead, but Holland's Laros foiled their strategy. Norway now leads the group with no losses, while the Czech Republic is in third after the Netherlands. Mirek Langer SPORTS IN BRIEF * The Czech hockey team lost its third match in the world championships to the United States 4-2. * Bioveta Brno's basketball players repeated as champions this year, defeating Chan Vysehrad in the league finals. * In Los Belones, Spain, the Czech tennis team advanced to the qualifications for the Federation Cup's first division, a tournament launched this year and modeled after the Davis Cup. Mirek Langer WEATHER Nothing Special in the Works After a drippy Easter, we finally got a gust of warm air from the southeast at the end of last week. A sunny weekend brought us the year's first summer days, with temperatures over 25 degrees centigrade. In the Krkonose mountains people even took to the ski slopes in T-shirts and shorts. The persistently sunny weather unfortunately also reminded us of the often subnormal amounts of ozone over Prague and that, therefore, the more sensitive among us should avoid exposure to sun longer than 10 minutes in the midday hours. Police began their traditional warnings that with warmer weather and skimpier clothing women stand a greater risk of being attacked by rapists. (Long-term statistics show that roughly one out of every 10 Czech women is raped in her lifetime, with more than half of them raped by their husbands.) April is unfathomable, no wonder now (Wednesday, April 26) we have cool air flowing in from the southwest, with the temperature stuck below 17. It's going to get even chillier later on, too, as frost is expected for Friday night. If you plan to come to Prague within the next several weeks, don't forget to pack an umbrella, for despite bearable temperatures it should remain rainy. 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