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 170, Thursday, August 24, 1995. EVENTS FOR AUGUST 10-23, 1995 Charges of High Treason Delivered to Former Communist Officials The Office for the Documentation and Investigation of the Crimes of Communism (UDV), headed by Vaclav Benda, last week delivered charges of high treason to almost all of the former Communist officials responsible for the August 1968 Soviet invasion and subsequent occupation of Czechoslovakia (see Carolina 169). The charges had to be reformulated after Josef Kredba, head of the State Attorney's Office in Prague, returned them to the UDV due to procedural shortcomings. Milos Jakes, former general secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party, received the charges against him Aug. 15. Klaus-Stoiber Talks Bring No Breakthrough on Czech-German Relations Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus had an unannounced meeting with his Bavarian counterpart, Edmund Stoiber, Aug. 15 in Domazlice, western Bohemia. The first reports of the meeting, which was kept secret from the Czech media, came from the German news agency DPA. Following their talks, Klaus indicated there might be delays in the adoption of a joint Czech-German declaration in which the two countries would agree to put the past behind them and look ahead to the future. Stoiber, too, referred to conflicting views during their meeting in an interview that appeared Aug. 21 in the German daily Die Welt. Havel Grants Amnesty to Wife of Former Dissident Ally President Vaclav Havel granted an amnesty Aug. 18 to Marta Chadimova, who is being tried for fraud and falsification of documents in her claims on property nationalized by the Communists in the 1950s. The press have pointed out that Havel knows Chadimova's husband, Mikulas Chadima, as a fellow signatory of Charter 77, the Communist-era human rights declaration. Supreme Court Chief Justice Otakar Motejl sent a letter to Havel Aug. 21, saying that he respected the president's right to grant amnesty but that he did not understand or accept Havel's reasons for doing so in this case. In explaining his decision, Havel said he had lost faith in the court's ability to reach a just verdict. Chadimova has declared her intention to continue the court case despite the amnesty. In 1994, Havel granted amnesty to more than 300 individuals, including Jiri Wonka, who was prosecuted for threatening a judge, Petr Cibulka, who was charged with slandering the head of state (see Carolina 99, 112), and world cycling champion Josef Simunek, who killed three people in a car accident (see Carolina 105, 123). Czech and Polish Premiers Agree: No Unsolvable Problems In a meeting Aug. 17, the Czech and Polish prime ministers agreed that there were no important issues in their bilateral relations that could not be solved through the usual ministerial channels. One of the topics on the agenda for Czech Premier Vaclav Klaus and his Polish counterpart Jozef Oleksy was the Czechs' recent decision to require all foreigners entering the country to have at least 7,000 crowns ($280 US - see Carolina 169). Klaus said the issue would be dealt with so as "not to complicate Czech-Polish relations." Dienstbier's Free Democrats and Liberals to Merge Leaders of the Free Democrats (SD) and the Liberal National Socialist Party (LSNS) met Aug. 17 to discuss the possibility of merging prior to the next parliamentary elections. Neither party currently holds any seats in Czech Parliament. Free Democrat chief Jiri Dienstbier, formerly Czechoslovakia's foreign minister, and LSNS leader Vavrinec Bodenlos said the chances were good that they would go into the elections as one. In a TV appearance following the talks, Dienstbier said the purpose of the merger was to offer voters a centrist alternative to the polarization of the political spectrum. Current opinion polls show the Free Democrats with 2 to 2.5 percent voter support, while just 0.5 percent for LSNS. Bily's Death Couldn't Be Helped, Says Health Ministry Commission An expert commission of the Ministry of Health ruled Aug. 10 that while doctors at the Havirov hospital made some serious mistakes in their evaluation of the condition of Josef Bily, they were not to blame for his death. Bily, 68, died July 16 several hours after hospital officials refused to admit him, claiming his life was not in danger and that they did not have an agreement with his insurance company. The commission said there was no reason for Health Minister Ludek Rubas to pass the case on for a criminal investigation. Rubas himself said Bily's death could not have been prevented. Nevertheless, he called on the Medical Association and the administration of the Havirov hospital to take action against the doctors responsible for the mistaken diagnosis. Kozeny Investigation Called to a Close After two and a half years, Czech officials have decided to put an end to their investigation into Viktor Kozeny, head of the Harvard Investment Funds, who made the front pages in 1991 by accepting classified information from a former Czech intelligence agent. According to the Aug. 16 edition of Mlada Fronta Dnes, the investigator's office came to the conclusion that Kozeny's actions could not be considered punishable by law. The State Attorney's Office is reported to share this view as well. Kozeny, who now lives in the Bahamas, was originally accused of endangering state secrets by paying Vaclav Wallis for classified information from the Federal Security and Information Service (FBIS). At the time Wallis was no longer an FBIS employee. While Kozeny claimed that he was being blackmailed by Wallis, the former agent maintains that he was merely delivering the information he had been asked to secure. Wallis went to prison for stealing state secrets, but was released after the High Court ruled that his case should be reexamined (see Carolina 85, 108, 114). Opocensky Case Closed Once and for All The Ministry of Justice has decided not to appeal the verdict of the High Court, which on June 30 acquitted sculptor Pavel Opocensky of the murder of a 17-year-old skinhead (see Carolina 167). In Opocensky's first trial a lower court did not allow his argument that he knifed Ales Martinu in self-defense and sentenced him to three years in prison. Chief State Attorney Libor Grygarek had said he would contend the High Court's ruling, but after reexamining the court's decision announced he would not pursue the case. (Also last week, vandals spraypainted Opocensky's memorial sculpture to Josef and Karel Capek on Peace Square in Prague with a swastika, a Star of David, and the words "March 25," the day Martinu was stabbed.) Argument Comes to Blows at Social Democrat Event After a meeting of Social Democrat (CSSD) representatives with the citizens of Podsedice, northern Bohemia, Aug. 19, CSSD deputy Jozef Wagner hit vice chair Vaclav Grulich in the face. Other CSSD members have described the incident as the outcome of a personal conflict between the two men regarding the management of the party's campaign for the upcoming elections. On Aug. 22 the CSSD leadership recommended that Wagner consider resigning from the party. BUSINESS/ECONOMICS Gov't Dishes Out 13 Billion Crowns from Budget Surplus The Czech Cabinet approved the allocation of 13 billion crowns from a budget surplus at its Aug. 16 session. 4.1 billion crowns will go towards cost-of-living adjustments for social security and pensions; 2.9 billion is earmarked for increased heating subsidies; 1.5 billion goes to the Ministry of Transport for building new highways, road repairs and railway car restorations. Also the Cabinet approved 735 million crowns to subsidize salaries in the school system and a short-term loan of 600 million to ease the critical situation in Czech hospitals. In other business, the Cabinet also decided to pay for 3 percent of the interest on loans taken out by Czechs building homes. In addition, building loans will be provided for up to 70 percent of the cost, with a limit of 800,000 crowns for apartments and 1.5 million for homes. CEFTA Meetings, Prelude to Brno Summit, Bring Few Results In a run-up to the summit of prime ministers in Brno in September, officials from the states of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) discussed measures for limiting duties and promoting trade last week, as agriculture ministers met Aug. 16 in Bratislava and trade ministers negotiated Aug. 17 and 18 in Warsaw. The talks brought limited results, as they agreed to speed up the removal of tariff barriers in noncontroversial areas but failed to reach a consensus on the more sensitive issue of agricultural products. In addition to the four current CEFTA members - the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia - Slovenia will join the organization in January 1996, and Lithuania has also expressed an interest. Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (Aug. 23, 1995) Checks Cash country buy sell middle buy sell middle Australia 1 AUD 19.968 20.168 20.068 19.00 21.14 20.07 Belgium 100 BEF 88.625 89.515 89.070 86.37 91.77 89.07 Great Brit. 1 GBP 41.480 41.896 41.688 40.27 43.11 41.69 Denmark 1 DKK 4.702 4.750 4.726 4.53 4.93 4.73 Finland 1 FIM 6.178 6.240 6.209 6.01 6.41 6.21 France 1 FRF 5.322 5.376 5.349 5.15 5.55 5.35 Ireland 1 IEP 42.424 42.850 42.637 40.64 44.64 42.64 Italy 1000 ITL 16.665 16.833 16.749 15.98 17.52 16.75 Japan 100 JPY 27.933 28.213 28.073 26.77 29.37 28.07 Canada 1 CAD 19.927 20.127 20.027 19.14 20.92 20.03 Luxemburg 100 LUF 88.625 89.515 89.070 86.07 92.07 89.07 Netherlands 1 NLG 16.269 16.433 16.351 15.87 16.83 16.35 Norway 1 NOK 4.171 4.213 4.192 4.04 4.34 4.19 New Zealand 1 NZD 17.525 17.701 17.613 16.86 18.36 17.61 Portugal 100 PTE 17.641 17.819 17.730 16.55 18.91 17.73 Austria 1 ATS 2.590 2.616 2.603 2.54 2.66 2.60 Greece 100 GRD 11.398 11.512 11.455 10.75 12.17 11.46 Germany 1 DEM 18.214 18.398 18.306 17.85 18.77 18.31 Spain 100 ESP 21.404 21.620 21.512 20.51 22.51 21.51 Sweden 1 SEK 3.681 3.719 3.700 3.54 3.86 3.70 Switzerland 1 CHF 21.977 22.197 22.087 21.59 22.59 22.09 CULTURE Grants for Czech Films The Czech Cinema Fund allocated 38.5 million crowns - 33.5 million for feature films - in its fourth round of grants since it was founded in 1993. Slovak director Juraj Jakubisko received the largest grant, 7 million crowns, for his latest film (see story below), followed by Vera Chytilova, who got 5 million crowns for a film about Bozena Nemcova, author of the first Czech novel "Babicka" ("Granny"). Among the other grant recipients was Jan Sverak, who was awarded 3 million crowns for his latest project "Kolja," based on a screenplay by his father Zdenek Sverak. Jakubisko Shoots Czech Film in Slovakia Slovak film director Juraj Jakubisko recently began shooting his 13th movie, "Vague Reports of the End of the World," near the Slovak village of Terchova, according to the Slovak correspondent of Mlada Fronta Dnes. Covering the period 1945 to 1970, the story takes place in a village constructed exclusively for the purpose of the film. Jakubisko's wife, Deana Horvathova, is producing the film, but declined to reveal the budget, reportedly the largest ever in Czech film history, with 60 Czech and Slovak actors. The Czech Ministry of Culture alone contributed 7 million crowns to the film. Lustig to Head Czech Playboy Writer Arnost Lustig has been named editorial board chairman and editor in chief of the Czech version of Playboy, effective Sept. 1. Lustig, 69, began writing in 1945, after surviving the concentration camps of Theresienstadt, Auschwitz and Buchenwald. His first novel, "A Prayer for Katherine Horowitz," was translated into a number of foreign languages. After August 1968, Lustig left Czechoslovakia, and since then he has worked in Israel, Yugoslavia and the U.S. At present he divides his time between Prague and Washington, D.C., where he is a professor of literature and film at American University. R.E.M. Show Takes Place on Third Try After two cancellations (see Carolina 167, 168), the American rock band R.E.M. finally took the stage at a sold-out Sportovni Hala in Prague Aug. 11. The show was the last of the band's world tour and the only one rescheduled after bass player Mike Mills' hospitalization. Tigrid Publicly Announces Backing for Albrecht Minister of Culture Pavel Tigrid declared Aug. 18 that he has full confidence in Gerd Albrecht, the German conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. He made his statement after meeting in the Hotel Intercontinental with Albrecht to discuss the Czech Philharmonic's next season, when it celebrates its 100th anniversary. See Carolina 104, 105, 163, and 166 for background on the crisis, which climaxed last June when the Philharmonic's entire board of directors resigned and the general director, Ladislav Kantor, was removed from his post. Culture Obituaries * Karel Berman, 76, Czech singer and long-time member of the National Opera Theater, passed away Aug. 11. * Jaroslav Papousek, 66, film director and artist, died suddenly in Prague Aug. 17. In addition to directing his own films, Papousek worked as a scriptwriter for Milos Forman. * Jiri Lir, 72, actor, cabaret artist and Naive painter, died after a long illness Aug. 20. One obituary described him as "a big actor of small roles." * Vladimir Skutina, 64, TV producer, journalist, writer, died after a serious illness Aug. 19. From 1978 to 1989 he lived in Switzerland. SPORTS Czechs and Norwegians Equal Foes in European Soccer The Czech national soccer team played to a 1-1 draw with Norway Aug. 16 in Oslo in a qualification match for the European championship. The Norwegians scored first with a goal by defender Berg in the 29th minute, and the Czechs evened it up on a header by stopper Suchoparek in the 85th minute. To advance the Czechs, now in second place behind Norway, must win all of their remaining matches - Belarus, Norway and Luxembourg. "Iron Man" Zelezny Brings Home the Gold Yet Again Jan Zelezny successfully defended his world title in the javelin last week in Goteborg, Sweden. The next best finish by a Czech was a fifth-place by Dvorak in the decathlon. Czechs Advance in both UEFA and Cup Winners' Cup Both Sparta and Slavia moved into the first round of the UEFA Cup last week with 1-1 ties - Sparta after a 3-1 victory at home against Galatasaray, and Slavia after a 1-0 win over Sturm of Austria away from home. Also, in the Cup Winners' Cup, it looks almost sure that Hradec Kralove will advance to the first round after a 5-0 win over Vaduz away from home. Liberec Still Atop Soccer League After Four Games Liberec maintained its lead after the break for the Czech national team's match against Norway, remaining undefeated. But the fourth round remains incomplete, as both Sparta and Slavia were busy in UEFA cup action (see above). Fourth Round Results: Slovan Liberec - Kaucuk Opava 1:0, Uherske Hradiste - Viktoria Plzen 2:2, Banik Ostrava - FK Jablonec 1:1, Hradec Kralove - Union Cheb 0:1, Boby Brno - Ceske Budejovice 5:2, Sigma Olomouc - Svit Zlin 3:0. Make-up second-round match: Petra Drnovice - Viktoria Zizkov 2:2. SPORTS IN BRIEF * Winners at the motorcycle Grand Prix in Brno: Sakata of Japan (125 cc), Biaggi of Italy (250cc), Cadalora of Italy (500cc), Biland-Waltisperg of Switzerland (sidecar). As for the Czechs, Hules placed 20th in the 125cc event and Stasa Jr 25th in the 250cc. * Czech canoers brought home three silver medals from the World Championships in Duisburgh: Martin Doktor at 500 and 1000 meters, and Prochazka, Dittrich, Fibigr and Krivanek in the 200 meter foursome. * Czech pole vaulter Daniela Bartova continued her world-record-setting summer, jumping 4.20 meters in Cologne Aug. 18 and 4.21 meters in Linz four days later. * At the Crystal Cup in Trencin, the Kosice hockey team came out on top, followed by Zlin, Trencin and Vsetin (last year's Czech champion). * Czech ice hockey clubs rejected a Slovak proposal for a Czecho-Slovak league. WEATHER Meteorologists keep predicting showers and storms every day, but it remains hot and humid, with temperatures of 25 to 30 degrees Celsius. This week's Carolina has been brought to you by Milan Smid (news and translation), Mirek Langer (sports) and Alex Zucker (translation and editing). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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@cuni.cz To subscribe to CAROLINA news you send an e-mail message to the address LISTSERV@earn.cvut.cz The text of message for subscription of the English version must be: SUBSCRIBE CAR-ENG First name Last name or for the Czech version SUBSCRIBE CAR-CS First name Last name To delete your subscription from the list of subscribers you send the following message to the address LISTSERV@earn.cvut.cz: SIGNOFF CAR-ENG or SIGNOFF CAR-CS We ask you not to send automatic replies to our list. 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