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 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 215, Friday, September 13, 1996. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (August 28-September 11) ODA Accuses ODS of Losing Courage for Reforms Harsh criticism of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) reigned at the Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA) national conference this weekend. ODS is the countries leading party. ODA Chairman Jan Kalvoda says that "the loss of judgement while overestimating success, blindness to their own faults, deafness to critical voices and different opinions, and mainly too little courage in taking further reform steps" are the first symptoms of a creeping illness, which has afflicted part of the right wing. He went on to say in his speech that a large part of the population feels that the state behaves arrogantly towards it, and that the right wing believes itself to be invincible. Other conference delegates added opinions, as well. "ODS is invalid," said member of Parliament Daniel Kroupa. He continued by saying that, in the future, the entire right wing should not collapse along with ODS. ODS Vice-Chairman Ivan Pilip and Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party head Josef Lux visited the conference as guests. Pilip said that he had expected criticism and that he would have been surprised had it not been given. ODS Parliament deputies do not agree with the accusations. The press quotes ODS Deputy Club Vice-Chairman Marek Benda as saying, "Due to its election results, ODA should look more after itself than after ODS. I do not care too much for their style of giving advice." (ODS barely squeaked by the five per cent minimum at the elections, winning the vote of 6.4 per cent of the population.) Candidates for the November Senate Elections were approved at the conference. ODA once again postponed talks concerning ODA itself. Barbora Spevakova Social Democrats Demand Kreditni Banka Crash Investigation Kreditni banka (Credit Bank) shareholders voted August 29 to close the country's sixth largest financial institution. Liquidation will begin September 30. The Plzen bank is the eleventh financial institution to close since 1989. After two months of secret meetings, Czech Insurance shareholders, to whom the institution belongs, and state representatives could still not come to an agreement as to who was to pay the multibillion crown losses to bank had incurred. As a result, Kreditni banka began operating without a license August 8, and closing branch offices. Read more about the 11.8 billion crown losses in Carolina 213. The Czech Social Democrat Party (CSSD) said that it is planning on iniciating a parliamentary committee to look into the Kreditni banka's decline, and to determine who is responsible, both politically, and legally for the crash. Head of CSSD and of Parliament Milos Zeman blames Finance Minister Ivan Kocarnik of ODS for deviating from his duties in following the banking sphere. President Vaclav Havel is also not satisfied. Czech daily "Lidove noviny" quote him as asking on his weekly radio program "Talks from Lany" how the bank could "operate so strangely and for so long, why is nobody being prosecuted, why is no one responsible for it? The tax payers will indirectly pay for it all anyway." In response to the continuing problems in the banking sector, the government appointed Finance Minister Ivan Kocarnik, Justice Minister Jan Kalvoda and Interior Minister Jiri Ruml September 6 to investigate the problem. Milos Zeman called the government-appointed committee for investigation of the Kreditni banka crash illegal. He says that only a parliamentary committee, with participation of the opposition, would be objective. September 10 CSSD representatives demanded that a special Parliamentary committee be created to look into the Kreditni banka case. None of the coalition parties oppose forming this body, however, all are waiting for the problem to be solved by the justice system. Radim Wolak New Defense Minister to Downsize Army At a special meeting with high-ranking army officials, Defense Minister Miloslav Vyborny announced a radical plan to downsize the Czech army. The plan will cut the army's current 90,000-person staff by 15,000 by 1998. A member of the Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party, the new minister announced his intentions August 29. Vyborny's plan takes the country's economic situation into account, and examines steps to obtain funds for technology modernization. The press notes that 30 billion crowns is alloted for the army annually, which only serves to maintain its current condition. Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus says that the proposal should be reviewed by the government. He requested that Vyborny prepare a more thorough analysis of the impact that these cuts could have. The Minister's spokesman says that a complex report concerning fundemental changes in the army should be submitted to the government within a few days. Zbynek Vicar Havel, Klaus and Zeman Attend Slovak National Holiday Reception The three highest-placed political figures of the Czech Republic - President Vaclav Havel, Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus and Chairman of Parliament Milos Zeman attended a gala reception at Prague's Ambassador Hotel August 29. The Slovak Embassy organized the reception celebrating Slovakia's national holiday, in honor of the 1944 uprising against fascism. Lida Truneckova Prime Minister Visits Japan On an official visit to Japan September 5-7, Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus met in Tokyo with Foreign Affairs Minister Yukihito Ikedo, Foreign Industry and Trade Minister Shumpei Tsukahara and with Prime Minister Hashimoto. At all of the meetings, Klaus stated that he would like more Japanese capital to be invested into the Czech Republic. He was welcomed Saturday by Japanese Emporer Akihito and Empress Michiko. On the way to Japan, Prime Minister Klaus stopped briefly in Moscow, and completed his Asian trip with a visit to Malaysia and Singapore. Barbora Spevakova Finnish President Visits Czech Republic Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, who arrived September 9 to commence his three-day official visit to the Czech Republic, told President Vaclav Havel that he respects the Czech Republic's decision to join NATO. He stated that although Finland is not considering taking this step, each country has the right to choose this solution. Following the meeting, President Havel said that they had agreed on the importance of European integration processes. Barbora Spevakova Czech and German Youth Meet More than 200 young people, ranging in age from 16 to 23, met at the Czech-German conference held in Policka, of the Svitavy region. The September 2-5 gathering was sponsored by Czech and German Presidents Vaclav Havel and Roman Herzog. Jiri Oberfalzer, Director of the Patriae Foundation, which organized the event, characterized it as "work for a good future neighborhood." German Minister of Education Claudia Nolte and her Czech counterpart Ivan Pilip signed an agreement announcing plans to establish coordination centers for Czech-German youth exchange. The centers should be based in Plzen, Czech Republic and in Regensburg, Bavaria. Czech daily "Pravo" wrote that the center should also develop consulting services, and support both state-owned and public organizations, while striving to increase youth exchange. Both Presidents Havel and Herzog visited the conference Wednesday. Lida Truneckova Czech President Robbed by Castle Police Officer One of President Havel's guards was detained August 29 on suspicion of theft from the presidential residence. During July and August, 30,000 Czech crowns, jewels from the safe, a precious sixteenth century carpet, compact discs signed by celebrities, valuable wines, neckties, a blanket and soccer player Karel Poborsky's team uniform from the European Championship finals were stolen. The twenty-nine-year old under suspicion admitted to the theft. He is being held in prison, and is awaiting a sentence of six months to three years. Charges against the other two men, who were investigated in connection to the theft, will probably be dropped by the end of this week. According to Castle Police Director Antonin Manena, this is the first time one of his subordinates has been involved in such an incident. Zbynek Vicar Miroslav Macek Secretary to the Minister of Health Former ODS Vice-Chairman Miroslav Macek, who was the Deputy Prime Minister of the Czechoslovak Federal Government in 1992, is well-known due to his participation on the Wholesale Book Affair (see Carolina 41 and 214). Macek was appointed to the position of Secretary to the Minister of Health in late August. His duties will include coordinating the activities of the Minister Strasky's Deputies. Lida Truneckova ECONOMY New Skoda Car Model Octavia Introduced The Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus christened the new Skoda car model Octavia on Prague's Old Town Square Sunday, September 1. Octavia sales will begin November 15, at a predicted price of about 340,000 Czech crowns for the model with 1.6 liter, 75 horsepower VW engine. According to the press, an Octavia with an Audi engine will cost more than 450,000 crowns. Approximatly 5,000 vehicles should be manufactured this year; next year, 70,000 models are expected, including a five-door model to be introduced in the summer of 1997. If the basic model will be sold at less than 350,000 crowns, it will be at least 50,000 crowns less expensive than imported cars of the same type. Lida Truneckova Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid from September 16) country currency ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 21.161 Belgium 100 BEF 85.263 Great Britain 1 GBP 41.259 Denmark 1 DKK 4.555 Finland 1 FIM 5.800 France 1 FRF 5.140 Ireland 1 IEP 42.682 Italy 1000 ITL 17.378 Japan 100 JPY 24.111 Canada 1 CAD 19.370 Luxemburg 100 LUF 85.263 Netherlands 1 NLG 15.665 Norway 1 NOK 4.095 New Zealand 1 NZD 18.501 Portugal 100 PTE 17.149 Austria 1 ATS 2.495 Greece 100 GRD 11.024 Slovakia 100 SKK 86.307 Germany 1 DEM 17.551 Spain 100 ESP 20.797 Sweden 1 SEK 3.972 Switzerland 1 CHF 21.459 USA 1 USD 26.576 ECU 1 XEU 33.235 SDR 1 XDR 38.393 CULTURE Michael Jackson Opens World Tour in Prague About 130,000 people from all of Europe came to see the "King of Pop" Michael Jackson concert on Letna Plain in Prague Saturday, September 7. After an opening performance by the Swiss pop singer D. J. Bob, Jackson, the star of the evening, appeared on the hundred meter large stage at 8.30 p.m., beginning his new World Tour HIStory. Michael Jackson gave a two hour performance, with the audience going wild. Although the concert passed without major disturbances, hundreds of people were treated mainly for exhaustion or hysteria, after long hours of waiting and being crowded in the cold weather. The Prague media criticized the traffic chaos caused by an invasion of buses, cars and taxi drivers into the city's downtown area. Tickets were available throughout the day, but just before the concert began, ticket hawkers dropped their prices from the official 890 Czech crowns to a mere 50 crowns (about two dollars). VIP section tickets were sold for nearly 5,000 Czech crowns. Zbynek Vicar SPORT Czech Team Eliminated from Hockey World Cup After two defeats in World Cup qualification games with Finland and Sweden (see Carolina 214), Czech hockey players also lost the third and final match with Germany in Garmisch-Partenkirchen 7-1, resulting in their elimination from this year's World Cup. The Czech press labeled the perfomance a disgrace and a catastrophe for the Czech hockey team, still the 1996 World hockey champion. International Soccer: Czech Republic - Iceland 2-1 The Czech national soccer team won the international friendly match with Iceland 2-1 in Jablonec, September 4. It was the Czech team's first appearance following their successful performance at the Euro 96 tournament in Great Britain. Due to the fact that several players from the team that medaled silver in the Eurpean Championship have been bought by other European teams, Trainer Uhrin was able to put in several new players from the Czech soccer league. This match served as preparation for the first World Cup qualification game with Malta, which will be played in Teplice September 18. Soccer League Hits Round 4 and 5 The Bohemians victory over Sparta was the fourth round's biggest surprise, especially after Sparta's initial 2-0 lead. Also, last year's champion, Slavia lost in Teplice in the last minute after not deflecting a penalty shot. The fifth round was remarkable in the amount of ties and shortage of goals. Results of the 4th round August 30 - September 1: FK Teplice - Slavia 1-0, Viktoria Zizkov-Hradec Kralove 1-1, Sigma Olomouc - Kaucuk Opava 1-1, Slovan Liberec - Viktoria Plzen 1-0, Boby Brno - Petra Drnovice 4-1, SK Ceske Budejovice - FK Jablonec 0-0, Sparta Praha - Bohemians Praha 3-4, FC Karvina - Banik Ostrava - postponed because of the weather. Results of the 5th round September 6-8: Kaucuk Opava - Viktoria Zizkov 1-0, Petra Drnovice - Sigma Olomouc 0-0, Slavia Praha - FC Karvina 5-1, Banik Ostrava - Sparta Praha 1-1, FK Jablonec - FK Teplice 0-0, Viktoria Plzen - Boby Brno 1-0, Bohemians Praha - Slovan Liberec 0-0, Hradec Kralove - Ceske Budejovice 1-1. Standings after 5 rounds: 1. Boby Brno 12 points, 2. Kaucuk Opava 9, 3. Slavia Praha 8, 4. Jablonec 8, 5. Slovan Liberec 8, 6. FK Teplice 8, 7. Banik Ostrava 7, 8. Sigma Olomouc 6, 9. Viktoria Plzen 6, 10. Ceske Budejovice 6, 11. Petra Drnovice 5, 12. Bohemians Praha 5, 13. FC Karvinna 4, 14. Sparta Praha 3, 15. Hradec Kralove 3, 16. Viktoria Zizkov 2. SPORT IN BRIEF * Slavia Praha defeated the Swedish soccer team Malmo FF 2-1 in the first match of the UEFA Cup in Sweden September 10. The return match will take place September 24 in Prague. * Jana Novotna lost the US Open quarter-final match with the sixteen-year old Swiss player Martina Hingis 6-7, 4-6. The Czech-Spanish doubles team Jana Novotna/Sanchez-Vicario was defeated by the Belorussian-US couple Zvereva/Fernandez 6-1, 1-6, 4-6. * Czech soccer player Karel Poborsky, scored his very first goal in the British Premiere League when his team Manchester United defeated Leeds 4-0. Sports news by Jiri Trunecka WEATHER Cold and wet air invaded the Central Europe last week. Temperatures dropped to 13-17 degrees Celsius. Northern Moravia is experiencing flooding, and the Krkonose Mountains were covered last weekend by their first snowfall of the winter. Translated by Andrea Snyder and Milan Smid English version edited by Andrea Snyder ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with "CAROLINA" designation. The subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. 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