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: (+4202) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+4202) 24810987 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 241, Friday, April 4, 1997. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (March 26-April 2) Chirac's First Official Visit to Czech Republic French President Jacques Chirac visited the Czech Republic April 2-3. His wife Bernadette, 13 high-ranking company representatives and several members of the government accompanied him. Chirac met with Czech President Vaclav Havel and other Czech politicians mainly about the development of Czech-French ties and EU and NATO development. Czech Television broadcast an interview with Chirac on the first evening of his visit. When asked if the Czech Republic could count on France to support Czech NATO membership despite Russian interests, Chirac said yes. Chirac continued by saying that the Czech Republic has France's full support, no matter what, in attaining full NATO membership. He said France wants very much for NATO to give the green light for expansion at its Madrid summit in July, so that by 1999 the Czech Republic will be a cornerstone of European security. Chirac also said the Czech Republic should be in the first wave of new EU countries, and that by the year 2000, the Czech Republic should be a member. Chirac spoke to both chambers of Czech Parliament at Prague Castle April 3. Denisa Vitkova/Andrea Snyder Government Approves Defense Strategy The government passed the Defense Strategy Act March 26, the concrete goal of the constitutional security law of the Czech Republic and a restructuring concept for the Czech army to last until 2005. President Vaclav Havel was present at the meeting. Havel said that approving measures which would ensure stability of the country in times of danger is an important step. Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus added that negotiations were sped up in light of the NATO summit in Madrid this July, at which new memberships will likely be decided. At the meeting, the cabinet also decided to speed up negotiation on the Aero Vodochody contract for the supply of L-159 fighter planes. Seventy-two of the Czech aircraft will add to the West's supply of supersonic fighter planes. Vit Bartek/Andrea Snyder Parliament Turns Down Opposition's Pension Law Proposal A pension law proposal, submitted by the Social Democrat (CSSD) opposition, was voted down by Parliament March 26. The proposal would have maintained the retirement age for men at 60 and for women at 53-57, depending on the number of children they have. The entire opposition voted for the proposal, and all of the coalition deputies and two former CSSD members, Josef Wagner (independent) and Tomas Teplik (Civic Democratic Party), voted against. The proposal was not rejected until the second reading, because several members of the coalition did not arrive on time. Now that the proposal has been shot down, retirement ages will continue to increase. The pension insurance law, valid in January 1996, ensures that by the year 2007, men will retire at 63 and women at 57-61. Parliament will review a government proposal improving early retirement conditions at its May session. Czech daily MF DNES expects CSSD to submit its proposal again in May. Bohdana Rambouskova/Andrea Snyder Hospitals in Black to Pay Cash for Medicines As of April 1, wholesale medicine distributors started selling medicines to certain hospitals only for cash, in reaction to hospital debts which now total 1.3 billion crowns. Hospitals in Decin, Olomouc, Opava, Bilovec and Krnov have medicines in reserves for at least one more week. The Czech press reported that distributors stopped supplying the Czech Republic's largest and most indebted hospital, Prague-Motol. The state plans to turn back the wave of bankruptcies threatening hospitals by lending health insurance companies a total of 4 billion crowns through the Consolidation Bank. They can in turn pay their debts to hospitals, who will then be able to pay off medicine distributors. The Association of Wholesale Medicine Distributors (AVEL) demands a document saying when the Consolidation Bank will grant the loan and how long it will take for individual debts to be paid. Health Minister Jan Strasky canceled his meeting with AVEL Chairman Pavel Suchy, saying that he must first negotiate the demanded guarantees with the government. Jiri Fremuth/Andrea Snyder Prague's Public Transportation to Be Discontinued July 1 marks the end of all surface public transportation in Prague. Only one of the three metro lines, the C line, will continue to function, said Frantisek Kafka, Prague Transit Authority (DP) spokesman. "It will be a short trial," he announced. DP management says that this step is a reaction to long-term financial losses. "We do not even have enough money to replace a broken rear-view mirror," Kafka told Carolina, adding that more and more Czechs are using cars, and that many of them have not stepped into a tram for years. This step will save the Prague mayor's office 52 million crowns just in the next six months, which will be used to improve the city's Christmas decorations markedly. The people of Prague and its police force are worried. "It will be the end," said a DP traffic cop on National Avenue (Narodni trida). Michal Schindler/Andrea Snyder Havel Still Favorite Politician With the support of nearly 70 per cent of the Czech population, President Vaclav Havel continues to be the country's most liked politician. The public opinion poll was conducted by the Center for Empirical Research (STEM) last week. Approximately 1,600 respondents graded the President with marks ranging from a high of 1 to a low of 5. Havel's best mark was a 1.74 in the Representation Abroad class. Fifty-two per cent said that he was "a model repesentative." His worst grade was in Pardons and Amnesty, a minus 3. Havel was also graded in Development of Democracy, Maintaining Human Rights, Responding to Complaints and Speeches in Parliament. The STEM poll showed that people cannot agree on what sort of authority the president should have. While 27 per cent says that he should only carry out his function, nearly half the Czechs polled would like to increase his authority. Havel took 13th place on the list of "institutions influencing the country," following the government, the media, the church and the European Union. The lowest rankings on the list were local public offices, courts, the army and the police. Lenka Javurkova/Andrea Snyder Interior Ministry Proposal Will Allow Prosecution of Drug Addicts According to a proposed legal amendment, the possession of narcotics for personal use would become punishable, as is the case in most western European countries, from the end of this year. Users of "more than a small amount" of drugs today face criminal prosecution, and they can also be compelled to undergo medical treatment. Possession of "a small amount" is a misdemeanor, thus allowing for a warning, fines (up to 15,000 crowns) or the revocation of the person's driving and firearms licenses. The ministry's proposal needs to be passed by both the cabinet and Parliament. The governing coalition position is unclear. Only the Christian Democrats have long supported the punishment of drug addicts. The Social Democrats, the strongest opposition party, is not of one mind on the issue either. Organizations helping addicts called the proposal a political gesture and added that it will not discourage people from using drugs. Some experts warn of a possible price increase of narcotics on the street, while others believe that this, combined with more limited availability, will lead to a reduction in consumption. Jana Weisnerova/Andy Faust Czech Broadcasting British Correspondent Karel Kyncl Dies Karel Kyncl, long-time Czech Broadcasting radio correspondent in London, died at age 70 after a long illness April 1 in Prague. Kyncl became famous in the 60's as a radio correspondent reporting on the Kennedy assassination in 1963. During the normalization era of the 70's, Kyncl was fired from Czechoslovak Broadcasting and a publication ban was imposed on him. He worked for a time as an ice-cream vendor. He was jailed in 1972-73 and 1981-82, and was one of the first signatories of the Charter 77. In 1983 he accepted an offer of asylum from the British government. He became a freelancer for Radio Free Europe, the BBC and several exile periodicals. After the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia he became the London correspondent for Czechoslovak, later Czech, Broadcasting again. His writings My Britain, 63 Days to Dallas or several collections of essays (e.g. Garden Party at the Queen's) gained popularity among the Czech readership. He participated in the education of young journalists, he lectured on radio correspondent work as a guest at this university's Writing for Journalism in December. Michal Schindler/Milan Smid FROM SLOVAKIA Meciar Postpones Visit to Czech Republic Slovak Premier Vladimir Meciar decided April 1 to postpone his official visit to the Czech Republic planned for sometime during April, after some Czech politicians expressed opposition to the visit last week. According to Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus, Meciar's visit is not a priority right now and no preparations have been made. President Vaclav Havel said he would welcome such a visit, but he believes his opinions would not please Meciar. Meciar told the Czech daily MF DNES he considers it unfair that the Czech Republic, which is trying to become a member of NATO, is holding and more than likely also using Slovakia's gold stores and other property. The Slovak government's press speaker rejected speculation that Meciar's visit is aimed at making the division of former Czechoslovak property final. Meanwhile, Meciar is talking only of the Slovak gold reserves stashed in the deposits of the Czech National Bank. Jan Potucek/Sofia Karakeva University Students on Strike Losing Support The number of university students on strike on behalf of the Coordinating Center for Strike Committees (KCSV) of Slovakia's universities is shrinking every day. At the beginning, the number of students on strike may have been in the hundreds (according to the opposition press, in the thousands) but now is in double digits. Another example was the March 26 demonstration in front of the Ministry of Culture on Slovak National Uprising (SNP) Square in Bratislava. More than 200 students, actors and other citizens supporting students formed a human chain in front of the ministry. But if one counts the 19 universities which belong to the KCSV and supported the List of Students' Demands, and the fact that there are more than 25,000 students in Slovakia, attendance at the March 26 demonstration was indeed miserable. KSCV Chairman Juraj Sulik said students will continue with similiar actions after the Easter holidays until the government agrees on a dialogue and fulfills students' demands (see Carolina 240). Jan Potucek/Sofia Karakeva Chinese Communist Delegation in Slovakia Interested especially in deepening bilateral relations, Chinese communists accepted the ruling Movement for a Democratic Slovakia's invitation for an official visit to Slovakia. Tai Pink Kua, first deputy of the international department manager of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee, announced the decision to the Slovak daily SME. During their visit last week, the Chinese communists also initiated a dialogue with the opposition Party of the Democratic Left. The delegation was particularly interested in NATO expansion and perspectives for Slovak-Chinese economic ties. The Chinese rejected the possibility of creating a Sino-Russian pact in the event of NATO expansion into central and eastern Europe. Jan Potucek/Denisa Vitkova ECONOMY Government Looks for Ways to Resuscitate Czech Economy The Czech Chamber of Deputies required the government April 1 to present a full report about the state of the Czech economy at the next chamber session. The government will thus be forced to announce steps leading to the improvement of the present economic situation, some of which will be very unpopular with voters. The government and the Finance Ministry in particular were criticized by the opposition in Parliament March 27. They were blamed for causing the economic crisis and the 8-billion-crown budget deficit. Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies and the Social Democrats Milos Zeman called for the removal of Finance Minister Ivan Kocarnik (Civic Democratic Party). Kocarnik has proposed budget cuts (see Carolina 238). The annual increase of public employees' salaries should not exceed 10 per cent, a move which would include physicians and teachers as well. Leaders of the junior coalition member Civic Democratic Alliance are thought to agree with the measure, as Trade Minister Vladimir Dlouhy said he would rather cut officials' salaries than money earmarked for supporting Czech exports. As for the third coalition partner, the Christian Democrats want to freeze public salaries for two years. The government is considering an import duty, which would increase the prices of foreign consumer and luxury goods. The only loud supporter thus far of such a move is Christian Democrat Chairman and Agriculture Minister Josef Lux. Top officials discussed the possibility of duties with the International Monetary Fund mission which visited the Czech Republic last week. Lucie Vackova/Magdalena Vanova Mail and Telephone Charges Increase Starting April 1, mail and telecommunication charges in the Czech Republic increased. Certain domestic postal rates rose by an average of 28 per cent. SPT Telecom has changed not only the price of one impulse (from 2 crowns up to 2.25 crowns for domestic calls, and up to 3 crowns in coin boxes) but also the basic monthly service charge for one phone line (from 80 crowns to 90 crowns per month). The postal service increased letter and postcard stamp prices by one crown apiece (until now a letter stamp cost 3.60 crowns and a postcard stamp cost 3 crowns). Also, international mail rates have increased. Prices for correspondence to foreign countries increased by an average of 5.8 per cent, though international package prices fell by 1.7 per cent. Simona Malkovska/Denisa Vitkova COMPANIES AND MARKETS * Last week, the Prague Stock Exchange's PX 50 index started to steady after its previous decline, and after trading April 1 it settled at 558.2 points. However, shareholders of some of the market's illiquid firms will probably not be pleased by the decision to eliminate 392 titles from public trading. Sometime in June the end of trading should come for another 400 rarely traded firms. * Earnings of the biggest domestic banks have been reaching giddy heights. For example, the Commerce Bank (Komercmi banka) reported a nearly unbelievable 5.2-billion-crown profit, and thus can afford to propose higher dividends than last year's 19 per cent. Rival Czech Savings Bank (Ceska sporitelna) has to satisfy itself with only a 1.9-billion-crown profit (which, however, means seven-fold growth for the year), and it is planning a substantially higher dividend than last year's 4 per cent as well. * In contrast to its competitors, Union Bank has no reason to celebrate; last year's books will probably end up in the red, projections show a loss of about 450 million crowns. Union Bank, however, invested massively last year, most publicly in swallowing up Ekoagrobanka and Skala Bank. * The Kavalier glassworks is trying to break through towards the East, more accurately into Ukraine, where they have taken a quarter of the Poltava company for medical glass production. Kavalier is planning to gain a majority share there as soon as possible. * Tatra Koprivnice, with its Pilsen-based management, seems to be coming to life with its decision to establish assembly plants throughout the world. The criterion might be each specific country's population, because thus far Tatra has arranged cooperation with partners in India, Russia and Brazil. Other significant outlets may be Arab countries, which regularly buy Tatra army specials known from the Persian Gulf War. Besides the United Arab Emirates, Yemen looks promising as well. * The Investment and Postal Bank (Investicni a postovni banka) bought a 6-per-cent share of brewery Plzensky Prazdroj (brewers of Pilsner Urquell beer) from the Czech Savings Bank (Ceska sporitelna), and thus increased its share to almost 18 per cent. It is interesting that IPB representatives last week were as mysterious as a Transylvanian castle, and refused to confirm the transaction. Martin Cermak/Denisa Vitkova Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid from April 4) country currency ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 22.509 Belgium 100 BEF 83.462 Great Britain 1 GBP 47.299 Denmark 1 DKK 4.517 Finland 1 FIM 5.745 France 1 FRF 5.112 Ireland 1 IEP 45.478 Italy 1000 ITL 17.324 Japan 100 JPY 23.448 Canada 1 CAD 20.793 Luxemburg 100 LUF 83.462 Hungary 100 HUF 16.347 Netherlands 1 NLG 15.311 Norway 1 NOK 4.222 New Zealand 1 NZD 19.960 Poland 1 PLN 9.377 Portugal 100 PTE 17.141 Austria 1 ATS 2.448 Greece 100 GRD 10.872 Slovakia 100 SKK 87.757 Germany 1 DEM 17.230 Spain 100 ESP 20.351 Sweden 1 SEK 3.770 Switzerland 1 CHF 20.004 USA 1 USD 28.804 ECU 1 XEU 33.520 SDR 1 XDR 39.972 CULTURE Renewed Premiere of Havel Play Czech President Vaclav Havel's play The Increased Difficulty of Concentration (Ztizena moznost soustredeni) opened again after almost 30 years in Prague's Theater on the Balustrade (Divadlo Na zabradli) March 28. The drama is directed by Andrej Krob, Havel's "court" director. The title is appropriate for the plot. Several episodes from a scientist's life are skillfully divided into short pieces, mixed and then connected again into a disparate whole. Krob managed the difficult material well and showed a feel for the style of Havel's plays. Havel has been tied to the Prague theater since he began his career as a playwright there, partly why The Increased Difficulty of Concentration had its comeback there. Vit Bartek/Magdalena Vanova Punk Tornado in Prague's Sport Hall Anxiously awaited by fans here, the group Offspring performed in Prague's Sport Hall April 1 on their tour to support their new album Ixnay on the Hombre. Offspring, along with Green Day, are the most well-knwon members of the neo-punk wave, a style tying itself to the punk music of the 70's. The new bands, however, are often chided for their commerciality and eagerness to please, which contrast with punk's original ideals as an underground culture on the edge of society. The new bands also often hear complaints for the absolute absence of musical originality in their primitive three-chord tunes. They have, however, found millions of worshipful fans around the planet (Offspring's breakthrough album Smash sold eight million copies). Their concerts are also well-received thanks to the sincere energy brimming from the American quartet. Last week also saw two shows from Maceo Parker, the one-time saxophonist for James Brown and now perhaps himself the hardest working man in show business - even the second show took Parker and his six-man band (including his rapper son Kareem) four-and-a-half hours to complete. It marked Parker's third appearance in Prague's Lucerna Music Bar in the last year. Martin Cermak/Magdalena Vanova SPORTS After deadline: in a qualifying match for the 1998 World Championships to be held in France, the Czech Republic lost to Yugoslavia 2:1 April 2 in Prague's Letna Stadium. The Czechs trailed 1:0 from the 27th minute, but Bejbl tied it in the 75th minute. The visitors scored the decisive goal in the game's last minute, and thus put the Czechs on the verge of elimination. Vsetin and Vitkovice in Hockey Extraleague Final As expected, the Czech hockey extraleague final will match two-time defending champion Vsetin against Vitkovice, which is undefeated in the playoffs. In the third semifinal match, Vsetin lost on Pardubice's ice 2-3 in overtime, and Pardubice players then had a chance to even the series. Vsetin, however, held them off and, thanks to three goals in 10 minutes, advanced to the final for the third time in the three years it has played in the extraleague. Vitkovice got to the finals somewhat more easily. It defeated Sparta in the third match and after a 4-2 win in game four, Vitkovice's players shaved their heads. Sparta, one of the favorites, is left playing for third place. Zdenek Janda/Mirek Langer Soccer League 21st Round Matches Slavia Praha - Sparta Praha 1-1. In the prestigious intra-city rivalry between the "Prague Ss," both goals were scored at the beginning of the game. Slavia took the lead in the 4th minute, Sparta equalized seven minutes later. Bohemians Praha - Brno 1-1. Bohemians wanted to get out of last place, but Brno's Zubek tied the score with six minutes to the finish. Viktoria Zizkov - Olomouc 1-0. Viktoria played offensive soccer with fast breaks and the three points it gained for the victory helped it to move farther from last place. Ostrava - Liberec 0-0. Ostrava's players put Liberec under pressure the whole game, but could not convert that into a goal. Plzen - Drnovice 2-1. Janota's goal determined the winner of a not-so-pretty match two minutes before the end. Hradec Kralove - Teplice 1-0. Kaplan scored in the second half and this first spring win moved Hradec out of second-to-last place. Jablonec - Karvina 1-0. Jablonec tied Sparta in the standings and only Karvina's good defense kept them from scoring more. Opava - Ceske Budejovice 1-1. Neighbors from the middle of the standings played a dramatic match, in which Opava scored twice, though once into its own net. Roman Jedlicka/Mirek Langer SPORTS IN BRIEF * The Czech national hockey B-team lost in the finals of the Cabot Cup to Canada 0-6, after beating Germany 6-2 and Canada 3-0 earlier. * The Czech national under-21 soccer team lost in a qualifying match for the European Championships to Yugoslavia 0-1 (halftime 0-1) and its chances to advance are purely theoretical. Zdenek Janda/Mirek Langer WEATHER Last week's weather was influenced by an influx of high pressure into central Europe. Its impact was discernible not only in the climate but also in the Chamber of Deputies, where emotions rose during Minister of Finance Ivan Kocarnik's report on the budget deficit. In contrast to the hot parliamentary atmosphere, spring is developing sluggishly with temperatures not yet exceeding 15 degrees Celsius/60 degrees Fahrenheit. The high pressure system was preceded by gales of nearly 200 kilometers per hour/120 miles per hour March 28. This windstorm moved cars, snapped telephone poles and trees and caused the death of two people. Ondra Provaznik/Milan Smid Dear Readers, the item about the end of the Prague public transportation is not true. Actually, we made it up. Happy April Fools' Day. English version edited by Michael Bluhm ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with "CAROLINA" designation. The subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. 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