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 221, Friday, November 1, 1996. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (October 23 - 30) DOMESTIC SCENE October 28 - Celebration of the Czechoslovak Republic's Birth in 1918 On the occasion of the 78th anniversary of the founding of the First Czechoslovak Republic, a number of celebrations took place (October 28 is a national holiday in the Czech Republic). On October 28, President Vaclav Havel, accompanied by Prague Mayor Jan Koukal, laid a bouquet at St. Wenceslas' statue on Prague's Wenceslas Square. The same day, Civic Democratic Alliance representatives, led by Chairman Jan Kalvoda, and members of the Club of Nonpartisan Activists commemorated the anniversary by bringing flowers as well. On October 26, supporters of the neo-Fascist Republican party met as the first to mark the holiday on Wenceslas Square, listening to Republican Chairman Miroslav Sladek's speech. Within the framework of the celebrations, people had an opportunity to look through the interior of Parliament. That way, the public could see not just the agenda room and the Parliament hall but also Parliament Chairman Milos Zeman's office. Zdenek Janda/Denisa Vitkova Havel Confers High State Honors on October 28 Anniversary Forty personalities were awarded high state honors October 28 in the Vladislavsky Hall in Prague Castle. Fourteen of them were awarded posthumously, and there are also a few foreigners among the laureates. President Vaclav Havel conferred the White Lion Honour posthumously upon army General Alois Elias, the protectorate government prime minister executed in 1942. The president conferred the Thomas Garrigue Masaryk (the primary founder and first president of the Czechoslovak Republic) Honour posthumously upon writer Milena Jesenska (Franz Kafka's companion, who died in the Ravensbruck concentration camp), Jan Opletal (a university student fatally wounded at a demonstration against Nazi occupation on October 28, 1939). Among other TGM Honour laureates are writer Ludvik Vaculik and former Austrian President Rudolf Kirchschlaeger. Awarded with the Merit Medal are, among others, writer Bohumil Hrabal, film director Jiri Menzel, oncologist Josef Koutecky, Slovak writer Hana Ponicka and academic sculptor Olbram Zoubek. Medals for Heroism were awarded, for example to Major Petr Kozanek, who died at a water-activities camp this year while saving a child. Martin Hradecky/Denisa Vitkova Zeman Sharply Criticizes Klaus' Anniversary Speech On occasion of the Czech national holiday October 28, Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus delivered a state speech in the National Museum Pantheon. He recalled the historical development of the nation since 1918, considering the political and economical transformation of the last seven years. Klaus pointed out the successes Czech society has achieved, but he also discussed its most delicate problems. "Crime has rapidly increased ... we have to solve not-small problems in the public sector, foremost in healthcare. The housing problem is also oppressive. The public is rightfully concerned by the collapse of a few smaller banks." At the end of his speech, Klaus, avoiding name-calling, warned against the danger of populism and cheap demagoguery, for which the nation has been the worse many times. This passage was negatively interpreted by the chairman of the strongest opposition party, Milos Zeman of the Social Democrats, who accused Klaus of misusing his office for an election campaign. the October 29 edition of daily Svobodne slovo quotes Zeman: "I would consider it undignified to detract from October 28 with a similar speech." President Vaclav Havel refused to comment on Klaus' speech. Pavel Novak/Denisa Vitkova Four Party Representatives Meet with Havel President Vaclav Havel met with representatives of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), the Czech Social Democrat Party (CSSD), the Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA) and the Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak Peoples' Party (KDU-CSL) October 23 at Prague Castle. Those invited are four of the six parties active in Parliament; the other two opposition parties, the Czech-Moravian Communist Party and the neo-Fascist Association for the Republic-Czechoslovak Republican Party, were not included in the meeting. ODS members criticized actions of the opposition, while ODS parliamentary club Chairman Milan Uhde emphasized the danger of forming a monolithic block of 101 opposition votes in the 200-seat Parliament. ODS also expressed concern that Parliament may take advantage of its theoretical right to dictate how the government should rule. KDU-CSL Parliament leader Josef Borak challenged the opposition Social Democrats to support state stability with their actions. ODA club leader Ivan Masek, however, denied all worries about the situation, and said coalition parties must accustom themselves to it. CSSD representatives vehemently denied collaborating on Parliament votes with the Communists and Republicans. Lenka Javurkova/Andrea Snyder Nation's Leaders against Parliament in Czech-German Issue Czech President Vaclav Havel met with Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus October 24 at Prague's Rusalka restaurant to discuss Parliament's possible amendment of the Czech-German Declaration. The President said adding a decree to the decree sounds a bit nonsensical, and Klaus stated that each change and additional amendment to the agreement dilutes its meaning. They also agreed that the President should speak in Parliament when the text of the declaration is discussed. Batyrbek Gaparov/Andrea Snyder Constitutional Court Finishes Senate Candidacy Decisions On October 29 the Constitutional Court decided the final fates of potential Senate candidates who had been rejected in the first two ballot-application evaluation rounds. Fifteen of the 18 ballots rejected in earlier processes were resubmitted for approval, and 14 were approved. The court rejected only the ballot of Zdislav Zwak, who had not obtained the 1,000 supporting signatures needed to qualify for Senate candidacy. The court finished the two-week decision-making marathon in time for the pre-election campaign period. The Constitution ensures candidates equal election rights by guaranteeing them two weeks to campaign before voting. The campaign period begins October 30; the first round of Senate elections will take place November 15 and 16. Eighty-one voting districts will be represented in the Senate elections. Candidates who obtain a simple majority in the first round become Senators. Should no candidate in the district receive more than 50 per cent of the votes, the two candidates with the highest tallies will then run in the second round of elections November 22-3, when a single district representative will be chosen. Michal Schindler/Andrea Snyder Poll Findings Show Low Interest in Senate Elections A poll conducted by the Center for Empirical Research showed that interest in the upcoming Senate elections is much lower than in June's Parliament elections. Of those polled, only 50 per cent plan to vote in the first round of elections, and even less in the second. taken from the daily Denni Telegraf by Michaela Klevisova/Andrea Snyder Social Democrats Fail to Pass Pension Amendment The Czech government vetoed a Social Democrat proposal October 23, leaving the age of retirement at 57-61 for women and 62 for men. The Social Democrats had been pushing to reinstate the age limit of 53-57 for women and 60 for men. The national retirement age was raised to its current minimum January 1. Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus called the Social Democrats irresponsible and populistic and expressed hopes that Parliament would not pass the law. Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Jindrich Vodicka of Klaus' Civic Democratic Party pointed out that, should the government decide to reinstate the previous age limit, the ratio between pensioners and the insurance-paying population would increase from 53:100 to 85:100 by the year 2020. "Even if if we reinstated the original retirement ages, we would have to raise them again in five or six years. Only then it would not be a matter of a gradual increase every month, but of a several-year leap," said the minister. Even the growth of Czech average life expectancy and the decrease in the birth rate play a role. Experts at Charles University's Faculty of Natural Sciences say that the in the year 2010, Czech men will live an average of 73.9 years, while Czech women should have an average life-span of 80 years, as compared to the 1995 averages of 69.96 years for men and 76.94 years for women. Zdenek Janda/Andrea Snyder Macek to Reform Healthcare? Health Ministry Secretary Miroslav Macek of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) sent a proposal October 25 to the government, Parliament and professional medical organizations. His concept is that patients should pay no doctors' fees, while those who do not take great advantage of insurance benefits should be rewarded. Patients who behave irresponsibly toward healthcare would pay higher rates. With Macek's idea, patients would not have individual accounts, would not pay medical fees or emergency-room care, insurance instead would be a national requirement, even for those whose insurance is paid by the state. Should his idea be applied, it would bring about marked changes in the insurance system. It is very different from the health care reforms implemented by Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus and Minister of Health Jan Strasky (both ODS). The ODS Executive Council criticized Macek and others from the Ministry of Health for making their proposal public without consulting the Minister or with other party members. However, medical professionals are enthusiastic. Lucie Vackova/Andrea Snyder Being Senator Should Be a Full-Time Job, People Say According to an October opinion poll conducted by the Institute for Public Opinion Research, a major part of Czechs polled reject the idea of a senator who would continue his or her job and would retain some other office after being elected. Seventy per cent of respondents reject this idea strongly, and only 14 per cent of citizens would approve of retaining both the Senate office and the original job. The people think their senators are to be fully occupied by their activity in the Senate, and every 10th person believes senators will get sufficient salary from their office. A majority of candidates, however, plan in the case of their election to go on with their present jobs or offices. For instance, Jan Koukal (Civic Democratic Party - ODS) insists on remaining Prague Mayor besides his would-be Senate work. Minister of the Interior Jan Ruml (ODS) appealed to county executives on the ballot to resign in case of their election into the Senate. Michaela Klevisova/Milan Smid FOREIGN RELATIONS Jordanian Prince Visits Czech Republic Jordan's Prince Hasan bin Tallal started his three-day visit to the Czech Republic October 28. According to him, this trip should contribute to dispersing fears of Islam, which has often been linked to terrorism. The prince complimented the attitudes of both the Czech president and the prime minister, who are ready to oppose such biased opinions any time. President Vaclav Havel described the Jordanian Kingdom as an important stabilizing factor in the Middle East, and he expressed his wish to broaden economic cooperation with Jordan. After receiving the Charles University Comemmorative Medal, the prince addressed an audience at Charles University October 30. Bohdana Rambouskova/Milan Smid FROM SLOVAKIA October 28 Not Celebrated in Slovakia The 78th anniversary of the founding of the First Czechoslovak Republic, a state holiday in the Czech Republic, passed without much media attention in Slovakia. October 28 was an ordinary workday, only supporters of the idea of a renewed Czechoslovak federation met briefly in the afternoon on the bank of the Danube River in Bratislava. The anniversary was mentioned more in news from the Czech Republic. The pro-government daily Slovenska Republika wrote only about the October 26 demonstration of neo-Fascist Miroslav Sladek and his supporters on Prague's Wenceslas Square. Jan Potucek/Magda Vanova Minister of Education Not Recalled The first item of discussion at the 20th meeting of the Slovak National Assembly was a vote about confidence in Minister of Education Eva Slavkovska (Slovak National Party) October 22. There were 141 representatives present, and 60 voted for removing her, 79 were against and two abstained. The removal of the minister was proposed by opposition representatives who disagree with her conception of education, her solution of economic problems and with restrictions of academic rights and liberties. Slavkovska rejected the charges, saying she would continue her work the same way. Parliament then voted to divide P.J. Safarik University in Kosice into two schools seated in Kosice and Presov. This was accompanied by disagreement not only from the opposition but also from the Slovak academic community. The university in Presov should be separated by January 1. Digest from SME and Pravda by Jan Potucek/Magda Vanova NEWS IN BRIEF * The exhibition Five Years of the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia in Photography marks the ruling party's first half-decade of activity. * The advisers of Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar described the EU's conditions for providing subsidies to Slovakia worth 26 million ECU for the next year as extortion. Slovakia had been receiving 40 million ECU per year. * Top representatives of non-leftist opposition parties Jan Carnogursky (Christian Democratic Movement), Jan Langos (Democratic Party) and Jozef Moravcik (Democratic Union) signed a contract which established the so-called Blue Alliance, which will try to emphasize abroad that there is an freedom-minded alternative to the Slovak government. * During the night of October 22-3 a tragic accident involving the Slovak tugboat Dumbier occurred on the Danube River in Vienna, leading to the death of eight sailors. Jan Potucek/Magda Vanova ECONOMY Trade Balance Deficit Reaches 110 Billion Crowns The foreign trade deficit of the Czech Republic rose 10.5 billion crowns, and should climb to 160 billion crowns by the end of this year (last year's trade deficit was about 95.7 billion crowns), according to the Czech Statistic Office (CSU). In this year's first nine months, the difference between import and export stands at 110 billion crowns. September's results are about 4 billion crowns better than August's, but also about 7.7 billion crowns worse in comparison to September 1995. The economic experts' comments on these numbers are mostly negative: "The growth of the deficit only appears small. Considering seasonal influences, we were expecting the balance to grow by only 6 billion crowns," said CSU Vice-Chairman Ivan Sujan to daily MF DNES. Foreign trade structure, however, is considered to be positive - machinery and industrial-goods exports are increasing and raw-materials exports are on the decline. Conventional thinking says the imbalance is not dangerous as long as it is does not exceed than capital reserves, which covered the deficit last year. Foreign investors, however, are so fed up with the capital market's lack of transparency that they are redirecting their money into other neighboring markets. The Czech Republic has an 18-billion-crown trade surplus with CEFTA countries, according to the daily Hospodarske noviny. More than half of this trade is with Slovakia, despite the Slovaks' defense of their producers with import tariffs (7.5 per cent) and other bureaucratic barriers. Jiri Fremuth/Katerina Zachovalova Police Arrest 25 Suspects in Loan Frauds Czech banks lost several billion crowns by providing allegedly fraudulent loans against overappraised precious stones. Police arrested 25 people during a day-long operation October 22, and the number of the accused is not definitive. Among the arrested are the AB Bank's Prague branch director, businessmen, former policemen and soldiers. The defrauding group acquired loans in 10 Czech banking houses between 1992 and 1994, and those allegedly defrauded include the so-called Banking Four: Investment and Postal Bank (Investicni a postovni banka), Commerce Bank (Komercni banka), Czechoslavak Trade Bank (Ceskoslovenska obchodni banka) and Czech Savings Bank (Ceska sporitelna). Jiri Fremuth and Batyrbek Gaparov/Katerina Zachovalova MARKETS AND COMPANIES - The Prague Stock Exchange revitalization of last week seems to have been short-lived, because the official PX 50 index began another dive - this time a particularly steep one. The index stopped at 517.9 points October 30, meaning price levels reached a new six-month low. - The general meeting of the Usti nad Labem-based Ekoagrobanka (EAGB) approved a merger with Ostrava's Union Bank. Last year's losses at EAGB were probably 5 billion crowns. Union Bank is one of the last smaller Czech banking houses not to have suffered any major problems - on the contrary, it has integrated into its financial group less successful competitors (Evrobanka, Skala Bank and now Ekoagrobanka). Recent speculation centers around relations between Union Bank and the controversial Chemapol, which owns the bank and several other large northern-Moravian companies. - Bridlicna Metalworks intends to establish a company to produce food-packing material in Russia, in cooperation with the Sam-Wien company. The Czech metalworks' share should be in the 55-per-cent range. - Profit giants: Engineering and Industrial Construction has announced gross profits through the first three quarters of 1996 at 213.9 million crowns, with 8.2 billion crowns of turnover. Another power-distribution company, the Central-Bohemian Energy Company, has announced a high 1995 net profits - 218.9 million crowns with a turnover of 7.9 billion crowns. - The Olomouc liquor concern Seliko swallowed one of its neighbors, the beverage factory Nealko. Seliko bought a 55-per-cent share from the Investment and Postal Bank (Investicni a postovni banka). Seliko, along with another Olomouc giant, Milo, are owned by the aggressive Moravian company Emgrup, which is evidently trying to create a gastronomical empire in central Moravia. - The German concern Continental, owner of several European tire factories, decided to move a large part of its tire production from Semperit in Austria to the Barum factory in Otrokovice. Lower production costs are the main reason for the move. The first machines and equipment have already arrived in Otrokovice. Martin Cermak/Katerina Zachovalova Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid from November 1) country currency ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 21.322 Belgium 100 BEF 86.394 Great Britain 1 GBP 43.739 Denmark 1 DKK 4.635 Finland 1 FIM 5.947 France 1 FRF 5.272 Ireland 1 IEP 43.852 Italy 1000 ITL 17.752 Japan 100 JPY 23.709 Canada 1 CAD 20.070 Luxemburg 100 LUF 86.394 Netherlands 1 NLG 15.865 Norway 1 NOK 4.215 New Zealand 1 NZD 19.014 Portugal 100 PTE 17.599 Austria 1 ATS 2.530 Greece 100 GRD 11.336 Slovakia 100 SKK 86.258 Germany 1 DEM 17.800 Spain 100 ESP 21.118 Sweden 1 SEK 4.103 Switzerland 1 CHF 21.418 USA 1 USD 26.903 ECU 1 XEU 34.166 SDR 1 XDR 38.849 CULTURE State Prizes for Literature and Translating Poets Emil Julis and Ludvik Kundera became the newest keepers of the state price for literature and translating work. Culture Minister Jaromir Talir presented the awards during a festive evening in Prague's Wallenstein Palace. Julis was recognized for his book of poems Unavoidabilities (Nevyhnutelnosti), and Kundera for translating the books Sebastian in a Dream and the Selected Works of Gottfried Benn and for his extensive life-long work. Julis was born in 1920, though he started to publish in the 60's and became the editor of the monthly magazine Dialog in the city of Usti nad Labem. After 1968, Julis published in the samizdat magazine Spektrum, and until 1988 his works were only available in samizdat or abroad. In 1990 he was awarded the Jaroslav Seifert Prize (Seifert won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1984). Kundera, a poet, writer and dramatist, was also born in 1920. He worked as the editor of the magazine Blok, the daily Equality (Rovnost), the monthly magazine Houseguest (Host do domu), and he also wrote, interpreted and served as dramaturg at Mahen's Theater. Ondra Provaznik/Magda Vanova Theater '96 Festival Diversity marked the 4th annual Theater '96 Festival - this year the city of Pilsen's (Plzen) guests included not only six Czech groups, but also three Slovak troupes and one each from Germany, France and Poland. This way could everyone find something interesting. Those who like classic directing had to enjoy Jiri Menzel's (Closely Watched Trains, Larks on a String) version of Jacobowski and the Colonel, but Frank Castorf's direction of Vladimir Sorokin's The Honeymoon was decidedly controversial. Slovak actors were met with great enthusiasm by those in attendance, which included Czech President Vaclav Havel, who expressed his support while making an unexpected appearance. Vit Bartek/Petra Sevcikova Havel Makes Cameo in New Vorel Film A new film called The Stone Bridge came to Czech cinemas October 24, directed by Tomas Vorel and exploring the lives of artists looking for meaning on Prague's Charles Bridge. According to Vorel, his film ended his feelings of futility and returned him his self-confidence. Similar problems meet the main character in the film, played by Sklep Theater star Tomas Hanak (The Prague Five, The War of Colors). In one scene Czech President Vaclav Havel appears, and discusses with Hanak the purpose of creating. Director Vera Chytilova rejected a role in the film, and is played by Jana Synkova. Barrandov Biografia released the film after a number of difficulties. Martin Hradecky/Petra Sevcikova SPORT Slavia Exits UEFA Cup Czech soccer champion Slavia did not advance into the next round of the UEFA Cup after failing to score a goal in its second match with Valencia, in Spain October 29. After losing the first match in Prague 0-1, the 0-0 tie in Spain means the end of the UEFA for Slavia. Ondra Provaznik/Milan Smid Czech Soccer League - Liberec Still Leads Standings Results of the 11th round (October 25-8): Slavia-Bohemians 4-2, Budejovice - Sparta 0-0, Hradec Kralove - Drnovice 2-2, Teplice - Karvina 0-2, Viktoria Zizkov - Liberec 1-2, Opava - Brno 0-0, Ostrava - Olomouc 0-0, Jablonec - Plzen 3-0 Standings after the 11th round: 1. Liberec 22, 2. Slavia 19, 3. Brno 19, 4. Drnovice 18, 5. Opava 18, 6. Jablonec 17, 7. Olomouc 15, 8. Ostrava 15, 9. Teplice 15, 10. Sparta 14, 11. Budejovice 14, 12. Karvina 12, 13. Plzen 10, 14. Hradec Kralove 8, 15. Zizkov 8, 16. Bohemians 8. Czech Hockey Extraleague Results of the 15th round: Plzen - Jihlava 3-1, Zlin - Litvinov 11-2, Slavia - Pardubice 3-5, Trinec - Vsetin 5-0, Vitkovice - Ceske Budejovice 1-1, Olomouc - Kladno 2-2, Sparta - Opava (postponed). Results of the 16th round: Pardubice - Zlin 6-3, Vsetin - Opava 2-4, Kladno - Trinec 2-2, Litvinov - Vitkovice 3-2, Jihlava - Slavia 3-3, Ceske Budejovice - Olomouc 2-0, Sparta - Plzen (postponed). Standings after the 16th round: 1. Vsetin 21, 2. Vitkovice 20, 3. Trinec 19, 4. Pardubice 19, 5. Budejovice 16, 6. Kladno 16, 7. Zlin 15, 8. Slavia 15, 9. Sparta 14, 10. Opava 14, 11. Plzen 14, 12. Litvinov 13, 13. Olomouc 11, 14. Jihlava 9. WEATHER Last week was a week of upheaval, warm rays of sunshine mixing unexpectedly with autumn's chilly wind. Temperatures fluctuated between between 7 degrees and 16 degrees Celsius/45 degrees and 61 degrees Fahrenheit, so, while those in one part of the country were wearing short sleeves, others were pulling on gloves. Bohdana Rambouskova and Denisa Vitkova/Andrea Snyder English version edited by Michael Bluhm ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with "CAROLINA" designation. 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