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 CZECH REPUBLIC 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 163, Friday, June 9, 1995. EVENTS OF THE WEEK MAY 31-JUNE 7, 1995 Klaus Gives Up Municipal Apartment Due to Public Disapproval Following a widespread wave of public criticism, Czech Prime Minister and Civic Democratic Party (ODS) chairman Vaclav Klaus announced last Friday that he would give up a luxurious six-room apartment issued to him by city officials in the Prague 6 district. Klaus said he was surprised at the fierce reaction of the public and the media, saying he had "underestimated" and "not expected" it. The prime minister said he would not accept the apartment for free but that he would be interested in buying it. Currently Klaus has the use of a coop apartment in the Prosek housing development in Prague 9 and lives with his wife in a large government-owned residence. In applying for the city-owned apartment, however, Klaus said his housing situation was urgent on account of the fact that his son is about to get married and is expecting children. Prague 6's District Council awarded the prime minister an apartment in a neighborhood of villas for an unspecified length of time, though they were aware that Klaus had a permanent address at the coop apartment in Prague 9, where his oldest son Vaclav resides. Said Prague 6 spokeswoman Ingrid Kejkrtova: "The Prague 6 District Office was interested in having Vaclav Klaus live in our neighborhood, because we would like to maintain its residential character. We feel that Mr. Klaus is the kind of person we would like to have here in Prague 6. We consider it to be in the interest of the community." Also in the name of "public interest," the Prague 6 Council has awarded apartments to several members of Parliament, including Petra Buzkova and Stanislav Gross of the Social Democrats (CSSD), Libor Novak Jr. and Martin Syka of ODS, and Pavel Severa of the Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party (KDU-CSL). From Rude Pravo and Mlada Fronta Dnes by Stepanka Kucerova/Andrea Snyder Kohl's Bundestag Address Brings Nothing New for Czechs Addressing the German Bundestag last Thursday, Chancellor Helmut Kohl said he was convinced that relations between Prague and Bonn would soon be straightened out, but he did not make a single mention of compensation for Czech victims of Nazism, one of the most pressing issues between the two countries at the moment. Kohl voiced thanks to President Vaclav Havel and Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus for speaking openly of the "lawlessness toward the Germans during their expulsion" from Czechoslovakia at the end of World War II. "The injustice of the expulsion does not diminish German guilt by even one inch, however neither does the German guilt diminish the injustice of the expulsion," Kohl was quoted as saying in the Czech daily Mlada Fronta Dnes. Those who were expelled, he said, have the right to call the lawlessness committed against them by its true name. In his initial reaction to the chancellor's speech, President Havel said there was a will on the part of the Germans to respond to Czech diplomatic initiatives, though he went on to say that such a speech could hardly do away with all the controversial topics in the Czech-German relations. Another speech by Edmund Stoiber, prime minister of the Bavarian government, elicited a strong reaction from Czech politicians, as Stoiber called, among other things, for Prague to rescind the 1946 decree of Czechoslovak President Edvard Benes granting amnesty to those who committed violence against Germans. Social Democrat leader Milos Zeman described Stoiber's speech as interference in the Czech Republic's internal affairs and legal system. Parliament Vice Chair Jan Kasal of the Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party and Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Jiri Payne of ODS voiced similar views. However, Pavel Tollner of the Christian Democratic Party (1), the other vice chair of Parliament, said he would not object to the rescindment of Benes's decree. Jindrich Jirasek/Andrea Snyder Price of Electricity and Gas Went Up June 1 As of last Thursday, suppliers of gas and electricity may charge households higher rates on the basis of a price assessment conducted by the Ministry of Finance. On average, the maximum price of electricity will rise 12 percent, while gas prices will increase from 10 to 15 percent. The increase is individual, however. For electricity, for example, the maximum price for the most frequently used B-rate will rise from the current 0.95 to 1.10 crowns/kilowatt-hour, a 15.8 percent increase. Households consuming less than 900 cubic meters of natural gas annually will pay 3.40 crowns (previously 3.15 crowns) per cubic meter, while those that use 6,000 cubic meters or less will see their gas prices rise from 1.90 crowns per cubic meter to 2.15 crowns. Prices for utilities were last raised June 1, 1994, by 10 percent. The Ministry of Finance says energy prices (including heat) should continue to increase by 10 to 15 percent annually until 1999, when electricity bills for private homes are scheduled to match those of other users. Stepanka Kucerova/Andrea Snyder General Director of Czech Railways to Step Down Czech Railways General Director (CD) Emanuel Sip announced last Friday that he would resign from his post on July 31 due to continuing conflicts with the chairman of CD's board of directors, Miroslav Tera, in dealing with everyday problems, including personnel. Sip denied that his resignation had anything to do with economic shortcomings in CD management discovered by the Supreme Inspection Office, or with recent demands for salary increases by railway employees. Muhammad Shah/Andrea Snyder Social Democratic Trade Unionists May Strike Trade unionists employed by the opposition Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) went on strike alert last Thursday because of delays in receiving their salaries for May. Strike committee chairman Zdenek Vasa confirmed the employees' readiness to strike, but added, "we have to appreciate our employer's willingness to solve the problem." According to Vasa, 80 percent of the CSSD employees support the union's approach. CSSD Chairman Milos Zeman said, "It would have been more appropriate if the unions had been informed at least a week in advance." Zeman told TV Nova: "The pay will be there." Stepanka Kucerova/Martina Vojtechovska Czech Police Raid Russian Mafia at Prague Restaurant The Czech Police raided the Prague restaurant U Holubu last Wednesday after receiving a letter warning of a plan to murder a man named Mr. Mogilevich on the premises. But the police came away emptyhanded and the man who passed the letter on to the police is now nowhere to be found, according to Jan Subert, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior. Subert said the ministry had received the same information from the Interpol office in Moscow. According to the letter, a number of individuals suspected of criminal activities were to gather for a birthday party at U Holubu, including Moscow mafia boss Michailov and his right-hand man Averin, said Subert. Though both men were detained by the police at the restaurant, they had to be released because Russian officials could produce no evidence against them. In the raid - a joint operation of the Squad for Exposing Organized Crime, the Special Weapons and Tactics Squad, and regular police forces, including a helicopter - the law enforcement officers detained a total of 200 persons, though all of them were released in the end. Seven persons were reported injured in the action. According to the official report, one person was found to be legally in possession of a pistol. Subert said the action was carried off with lightning speed and great professionalism, and was strictly within the bounds of the law, corresponding to the intensity of the situation without unnecessary violence or brutality. U Holubu's owner Anatoli Katrich, however, is of a different opinion. Katrich, a citizen of Israel, said he intends to press charges against the police for damages, and the Czech press has speculated that he may have a case. Stepanka Kucerova/Martina Vojtechovska BUSINESS/ECONOMICS Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (June 26) Checks Cash country buy sell middle buy sell Great Britain 1 GPB 41.614 42.032 41.823 40.40 43.24 France 1 FRF 5.265 5.317 5.291 5.09 5.49 Japan 100 JPY 30.880 31.190 31.035 29.74 32.34 Canada 1 CAD 19.030 19.222 19.126 18.24 20.20 Austria 1 ATS 2.628 2.654 2.641 2.58 2.70 Germany 1 DEM 18.478 18.664 18.571 18.11 19.03 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.424 22.650 22.537 22.04 23.04 USA 1 USD 26.213 26.477 26.345 25.65 27.05 Slovakia 1 XCU -- -- 34.376 -- -- FROM SLOVAKIA First Post-Communist Federal Government Gathers in Slovak Mountains Former members of Czechoslovakia's first post-Communist federal government met last weekend in the High Tatras to pay homage to the memory of Josef Vavrousek, the former Czechoslovak minister of the environment who died hiking in the Slovak mountain range with his daughter earlier this year. This was the fourth such meeting since Czechoslovakia split into two independent countries on Jan. 1, 1993. The talks, led by Marian Calfa, who served as prime minister in the first Cabinet formed after the resignation of the Communists in November 1989, focused on political events in the Czech and Slovak republics since the breakup, which all those present agreed was a defeat for the federalist policies they pursued. Of the former federal ministers who attended the get-together, only two remain active in politics: Lubos Dobrovsky, former minister of defense, who now serves as chief of staff for Czech President Havel; and Jan Langos, the former interior minister, now a member of Slovak Parliament. Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, who served as minister of finance in Czechoslovakia's post-1989 federal government, did not attend the gathering but did send a message of greeting. From Mlada Fronta Dnes by Rudolf Cernik/Martina Vojtechovska CULTURE Conductor Allegedly Lining Pockets at Philharmonic's Expense Gerd Albrecht, the German conductor of the Czech Philharmonic, has been accused of cheating the Czech Republic's top orchestra out of some 140,000 marks (2.5 million crowns) during his tenure. A special audit of the Philharmonic's foreign operations ordered by Minister of Culture Pavel Tigrid in April found that Albrecht had accepted payment for three separate trips without authorization, money that would otherwise have gone to the orchestra's budget. Albrecht's contract with the Philharmonic states that he is entitled to an annual salary of 25,000 marks, which is also to cover his work with the orchestra on trips abroad. While the audit by the Ministry of Culture concludes that Albrecht took payment "in violation of his contract," Albrecht's lawyer, Miroslav Sipovic, said the ministry's legal information was mistaken and that he considered the entire matter "nonsense." In a statement addressed to the Ministry of Culture, the Czech Philharmonic's General Director Ladislav Kantor wrote that "in the interest of a peaceful settlement" the matter should be "solved without delay in an elegant manner." In other words, that the minister should simply ask Albrecht to return the money to the orchestra. If Albrecht refused, then the matter would be turned over to the law enforcement authorities. But Albrecht has said he has no intention of giving the money back. "My contract with the Philharmonic says the 25,000 marks concerns only my presence in Prague. Tours and recordings have nothing to do with that money," the conductor told Rude Pravo. From Rude Pravo by Stepanka Kucerova/Martina Vojtechovska SPORTS Sparta Praha King of the Hill for This Year's Soccer Season Last Thursday, one round before the end, the duel for the title of the Czech soccer league between Sparta and Slavia found a winner, as a goal by Zakostelsky in Liberec closed the door to success for Slavia. Meanwhile Sparta defeated Banik Ostrava at Letna on a goal by Lokvenc, giving them the title for the second year in a row. That makes notch number 21 in the title belt for Sparta, who now hope the European Football Federation will recognize their right to play in the Champions League. Slavia can still advance to its European UEFA Cup in this summer's Intertoto Cup. Round 29 results: Sparta Praha - Banik Ostrava 1:0, Slovan Liberec - Slavia Praha 1:0, Boby Brno - Viktoria Zizkov 2:0, Bohemians Praha - Petra Drnovice 2:5, Ceske Budejovice - FK Jablonec 1:0, Hradec Kralove - Svarc Benesov 5:0, Viktoria Plzen - Union Cheb 1:0, Svit Zlin - Sigma Olomouc 0:1. Mirek Langer/M.L. Fifteen Thousand Runners Take to Streets in Prague Marathon The first running of the Prague International Marathon took place Sunday, with a total of some 15,000 runners taking part in the 42-km marathon itself and two recreational runs of 4.0 and 9.2 km. In the main event, 26-year-old Turbo Tummo of Ethiopia came away with a Renault car as winner of the men's marathon. Pavel Klimes was the Czechs' best finisher, as their biggest hope Karel David failed to complete the course. They found consolation in the women's race, however, as Alena Peterkova pounded the pavement to first place. Firing the starting gun was Emil Zatopek, the famed winner of four gold medals at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics, including one in the marathon. Mirek Langer/M.L. Golden Spikes in Ostrava Features Quality Athletes World record holder Daniela Bartova won the pole vault competition clearing 4.01 meters last Thursday at the Golden Spikes track and field meet in Ostrava. Igor Kovac of Slovakia and two-time Olympic champion Roger Kingdom squared off in the 110 meter hurdles, the American coming out on top with a time of 13.99 seconds. In the javelin, world record holder Jan Zelezny showed off his excellent form and won with a throw of 86.50 meters. Jakub Linka/M.L. Sports in Brief * In soccer, the Czechs fell 1-0 to Luxembourg in a qualification match in England for the European Championships. * Meanwhile, the under-21 squad fared better, trouncing Luxembourg 7-0 in a qualifying match for the junior European Championships. * Decathlete Jan Podebradsky won the Spanish Open Championships in Valladolid, his new personal best of 8,045 points qualifying him for the world championships. Dagmar Urbankova, finishing fourth in the septathlon, also earned herself a spot in the world championships. * In tennis, Jana Novotna, the last Czech left in the French Open, was eliminated in the third round, failing seven times on matchpoint against Rubin of Argentina. * Primatorky, the annual eights competition on Prague's Vltava river, broke with tradition this year to allow rowers from abroad; but Dukla Praha won again, with helmsman Oldrich Hejdusek sitting with the winning eight for the 10th time! * In volleyball, the Czech men defeated Israel in a qualifier for the European Championships, which means they need just one win in their next two matches versus Belgium to advance. Mirek Langer and Jakub Linka/M.L. WEATHER All last week when it rained, it poured, and the forecasts are for more of the same right on through the end of June. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with "CAROLINA" designation. 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