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 292, Friday, June 5, 1998. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (May 27 - June 3) Election Campaign Officially Begins June 3 Voters will choose between 13 political parties in the June 19-20 early parliamentary elections. The rivals include the current parliamentary parties - the Czech Social Democrat Party (CSSD), the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), the Freedom Union (US), the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), the Communists (KSCM) and the neo-fascist Republicans (SPR-RSC) - as well as the Retirees for Life Security (DZJ), the Czech National Social Party, the Green Party, the Democratic Union, the Civic Coalition - Political Club, the Independents and the Moravian Democratic Party, which is running only in Moravia. The other five registered parties (see Carolina 289) did not pay the 200,000 crowns fee required to participate in the elections. From June 3-16, public television Czech Television will offer 70 minutes daily, except Sunday, of political coverage. Czech Radio will also offer pre-election coverage from June 3. Nora Novakova/Andrea Snyder Havel On Elections and Possible Successor During his Saturday, May 30 Interviews in Lany radio program, President Vaclav Havel advised voters to read at least part of political parties' election platforms, to follow politicians' speeches in the media and to look at ballots. The proportional election system makes it possible for an untrustworthy person to appear on a ballot next to a trustworthy person, Havel said. On the show, Havel talked with Catholic priest Tomas Halik and told the priest he would like to see Halik as Havel's successor, but that he sees his election as unrealistic in political terms. Havel said that the "principle of intensive partyism," has triumphed in the land, with the country belonging to its political parties. "The future president will be either the product of some powerful party, a product strong enough that the party will find him support among others parties, so that he can pass through Parliament. Or it will be a neutral old professor of Egyptology, knowing 15 languages, and a man harmless enough that everyone could vote for him, but a man without a political personality, a man maybe of a great humanitarian personality but without political authority, without political weight," said Havel, as reported in Czech daily MF DNES. Havel said he considers both possibilities bad. Havel this year began the first year of his last five-year term in office, so the four main parliamentary parties said his open discussion about his successor is legitimate but premature. Jiri Polak/Andrea Snyder Wall to Segregate Romanies from Whites in Usti The construction of a wall in Maticni Street in the industrial city of Usti nad Labem is supposed to separate "good people" from "bad people" - to separate whites and Romanies (Gypsies) - has sparked emotions and attracted interest from politicians and journalists. Usti Mayor Ladislav Huska received a petition from the white homeowners living next to the Romanies proposing the construction of a wall to separate the two groups, and Hruska agreed. Left-wing and right wing Usti politicians come together on the issue. "We don't mind Romanies, we mind their mess and noise, which we have to listen to until late into the night," said homeowners' spokesman Jaroslav Kopecky. The wall is to be four meters (about 12 feet) high and run parallel to Maticni Street. Minister Without Portfolio Vladimir Mlynar, who heads the government committee on minority issues, went to Usti at the the invitation of the homeowners. "I've seen streets a lot worse in the Czech Republic," he said. He called for a committee to be created by both sides to aid in solving the problem. The homeowners said they were not pleased with his visit, because he did not support construction of the wall. Romanies came May 30 from Ostrava, a Czech industrial city in the northeast, and together with Romanies living in Usti planted flowers in the space where the wall is planned. Mayor Hruska June 1 met with representatives of a Romany cultural association proposing a mass clean-up of Maticni Street and Romany activists to ensure order in the street. They also said unemployment among Romanies is a problem, and the two parties agreed on a program in which the city is to support selected firms run by Romanies. Romany activists from throughout the country June 2 presented the mayor a petition protesting the wall. The petition calls for local politicians, who support the wall, to resign. About 30 signatures were on the petition. Romany activist Ondrej Gina said more petitions are being signed around the country. The petition is not expected to change Hruska's decision. Last week he told Maticni Street residents they have three months to find a way to live together, or the wall will be built. Jan Puncochar/Andrea Snyder President Havel Meets with Minister Mlynar President Vaclav Havel is convinced that the government should create a body to monitor human rights in the Czech Republic, he said after meeting with Minister without Portfolio Vladimir Mlynar, who heads the committee on national minorities. Mlynar said the president was interested in the mood in the Romany community in the wake of frequent racially motivated attacks, and that Havel wanted to know if there was a possibility of a new exodus of Romanies from the Czech Republic. Contrary to expectations, the two did not discuss Czech weekly Tyden's accusation that Mlynar misused the Czech secret service (BIS) when he asked its head, Karel Vulterin, for information about the shareholders of the AGPI company, which runs a large-capacity pig slaughterhouse in Lety on the site of a former Romany concentration camp. Mlynar has been active in trying to have the slaughterhouse removed from the site, although locals consider the slaughterhouse essential to their existence. The weekly claimed Vulterin and Mlynar broke laws concerning BIS and the protection of personal information. Both deny the allegations. Petr Bilek Jr./Andrea Snyder Social Support for the Czech Nazi Victims Czech citizens imprisoned during the Second World War by the Nazi regime have received 224 million crowns from the Fund of Future, established by the Czech-German Declaration last year. So far, 6,050 Czech victims have received financial assistance, although the personal database operated by the Czech Union of Freedom Fighters in Prague is still being updated. The numbers were published at the end of the first founding meeting of fund's Board of Trustees June 2, comprised of two representatives each from the Czech Republic and Germany. Petr Bilek Jr./Milan Smid Sudeten Germans Try to Link Czech EU Entry to Benes Decrees' Abolition Bavarian Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber appealed in the Bundestag to the Czech government to abolish former President Edvard Benes' Decrees pertaining to the Sudeten German's expulsion after the Second World War. If the Czech government does not abolish them, it could be troublesome to accept the Czech Republic into the EU, said Stoiber. Shortly afterwards, at the annual congress of the Sudeten Germans' association in Nuremberg last weekend, Franz Neubauer, the chairman of the Sudeten German union, rejected any positive impact of the Czech-German Declaration on relations between the Czech Republic and Germany. Klaus Kinkel, German Foreign Minister, opposed Stoiber by labeling Stoiber's declaration a threat to Czech-German relations, and said bilateral issues cannot be linked to Czech EU membership. Kinkel added that German foreign policy is not being created in Bavaria and not by Stoiber. "The claims to link the Czech EU entry to the bilateral issues outside the conditions of this entry is not only unrealistic but also irresponsible," said Kinkel in Czech daily Slovo. Czech ambassador to Germany Frantisek Cerny, who was invited to the 49th Sudeten German Congress in Nuremberg, refused to participate after some Sudeten German representatives tried to sweep aside Nazi violence in the former Czechoslovakia and compared Benes to war criminals like Adolf Hitler. Anna Kadava/Milan Smid Political Prisoners Commemorate Victims of Communist Regime in Jachymov About 500 former political prisoners who worked in Jachymov's uranium mines assembled at their annual reunion, called Jachymov's Hell, May 30. According to Jiri Blatny from the Confederation of Political Prisoners, they met together for ninth time to "remind all people of the existence of communist concentration camps where we were subject to crimes, murder and maltreatment from our fellow citizens." Political prisoners said they are not satisfied with the way the criminals of the totalitarian regime are treated by the justice system. What matters is not the extent of punishment but the recognition of injustice, said political prisoners. Jan Puncochar/Milan Smid FROM SLOVAKIA Meciar and Yeltsin Agree on Oil Supply to Slovakia Slovak Premier Vladimir Meciar finished May 28 his two-day official visit to Russia with an agreement with President Boris Yeltsin to prepare together a contract for Russian oil supply to Slovakia. By the year 2015 six millions tons of oil annually should be flow from Russia to Slovakia. Both politicians also agreed that, along with their Italian partners, they will consider the possibility of building a new branch of the existing Jamal-Poland-Germany gas pipeline, from Russia and through Poland and Slovakia to Italy. Yeltsin and Meciar expressed satisfaction over the development of the cooperation between both counties in nuclear energy and discussed the possibility of a Slovak astronaut on Russia's Mir space station. Yeltsin also wished Meciar and his party, the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), victory in the fall elections. "We wish, we very, very much wish you to win the elections. The relationship between our two countries is now excellent and it would be a pity to change anything," said Yeltsin in Czech daily MF DNES. Former Slovak Foreign Minister and Meciar critic Milan Knazko called Yeltsin's statement gross interference in Slovakia's internal affairs and clear proof that Meciar is "Moscow's vassal" and should never lead Slovakia's government. Anna Kadava/Sofia Karakeva Slovak Opposition Allegedly Bribing Journalists The opposition Slovak Democratic Coalition (SDK) was accused of trying to bribe journalists to write about the party in a more favorable light by three journalists. SDK leader Mikulas Dzurinda appeared May 29 to explain the affair, but his evasive answers irritated journalists. Observers say if SDK loses the support of the independent media, it could lead to the coalition's political death. Dzurinda first said SDK was not bribing and will never bribe journalists. He added that the influential media agency of Adriana Hostovecka, which in the name of SDK was trying to bribe journalists, is no longer connected with SDK, saying he is convinced that should end the scandal. In the following avalanche of questions, however, he was almost incapable of answering a single query. Jiri Polak/Sofia Karakeva FROM SLOVAKIA IN BRIEF * On behalf of the Slovak government, Foreign Ministry spokesman Milan Tokar announced that despite protests in Slovakia and Austria, the reactor of the Mochovce nuclear power station will be activated July 1 with 100 per-cent output. The International Agency for Atomic Energy declared that the reactor, so criticized by Austria, fulfills the highest activization standards and the agency agrees with the activization of the power station, adding that possible corrections can be made during the test period. * Slovakia's National Assembly failed to elect a president for the seventh time. So the chair of the former President Michal Kovac, whose term expired March 2, remains empty. Last week the only candidate was 49-year-old businessman Vladimir Abraham. The next vote is scheduled for June 11. Anna Kavada/Sofia Karakeva ECONOMY IN BRIEF * The government decided at its May 27 session to sell its share in the Czechoslovak Trade Bank (Ceskoslovenksa obchodni banka). In two weeks the government will advertise in the international financial press for investors to present non-binding offers probably by the end of June. * At the same session the government decided to pay its debt to the Czech Savings Bank (Ceska sporitelna) from this year's budget. The state guaranteed the bank 4.1 billion crowns to cover what the bank was owed by the bankrupt AB Bank (AB banka). As a result, the budget deficit will increase from 4.5 billion crowns to 8.5 billion crowns. * The average monthly Czech salary has grown by more than 1,000 crowns from 1997 and is now 10,500 crowns. Real income, however, has declined by 2 per cent. * Regina Razlova was detained June 2 on the Czech-Slovak border in Lanzhot. On June 3 the police decided to keep her in police custody. Razlova, an actress under the Communist regime, is accused of defrauding Skloexport, in which she was chairwoman of the board, of 400 million crowns. * By the year 2002 a passenger train ticket will increase 17 per cent more than each year's inflation, according to a May 29 agreement between Czech Railways' Administrative Council and the Ministry of Transportation. The proposal, after final approval, will be presented to the government. * Transportation Minister Petr Moos presented the government a proposal for the conception of railway privatization and the conditions of access for carriers. The minister confirmed the report after his May 28 negotiations with Jaromir Dusek, head of the railway workers' union. * The first railway corridor in the Czech Republic will be put into use by the end of 2002 and should cost 36.5 billion crowns, with inflation taken into consideration, said Czech Railways Administrative Council Chairman Ivan Foltyn May 29. Jan Puncochar/Gabriela Pecic Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid June 5) country currency ------------------------------------------ Australiae 1 AUD 19.878 Belgiume 100 BEF 89.549 Great Britain 1 GBP 53.445 Denmark 1 DKK 4.849 ECU 1 XEU 36.382 Finland 1 FIM 6.078 France 1 FRF 5.509 Ireland 1 IEP 46.600 Italy 1000 ITL 18.748 Japan 100 JPY 23.594 Canada 1 CAD 22.412 Luxemburg 100 LUF 89.549 IMF 1 XDR 43.690 Hungary 100 HUF 15.386 Netherlands 1 NLG 16.387 Norway 1 NOK 4.393 New Zealand 1 NZD 17.075 Poland 1 PLN 9.478 Portugal 100 PTE 18.035 Austria 1 ATS 2.625 Greece 100 GRD 10.848 Germany 1 DEM 18.470 Slovakia 100 SKK 95.032 Slovenia 100 SIT 19.665 Spain 100 ESP 21.749 Sweden 1 SEK 4.215 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.192 USA 1 USD 32.626 CULTURE Czech Republic Experiences Week of Festivals Three significant festivals - of music, theater and film - took place in the Czech Republic last week. Besides the Deer Moat (Jeleni prikop) dance festival (see below), it was possible to visit the Between the Fences (Mezi ploty) theater feast, held in Prague's Bohnice Psychiatric Hospital the weekend of May 30-31. While in the festival's first year in 1991 there were 10 ensembles performing for a small gathering, this year the number of performing groups approached 120, seen by some 10,000 visitors. All artists performed for free, and proceeds went to the hospital, where theater troupes like HaDivadlo, Drama Club (Cinoherni klub), Studio Ypsilon and bands like Zuby Nehty, Krausberry, Wild Heart (Divoke srdce) and Three Sisters (Tri sestry) performed. On May 29, the 38th international film festival for children and young people finished in Zlin, and although the previous years were not noted for quality, this year was been a pleasant surprise. "If a child spectator is satisfied, the organizers can be satisfied as well," said director Vojtech Jasny for the May 30 edition of Czech daily MF DNES. The international jury, over which Jasny presided, awarded Norwegian film The Second Side of Hope, which lost out in the 1996 Oscars for best foreign-language film to the Czech film Kolya, with the main prize. In the category of animation, Pavel Koutsky's picture Duel won. Petr Bilek Jr./Denisa Vitkova Prague Castle's Foundations Shake to Dance Music Rhythm The first official dance music festival in the Czech Republic took place in the untraditional area of the Deer Moat (Jeleni prikop) guarding Prague Castle May 29-30. The festival saw performances of top international and domestic bands - stars like Transglobal Underground, The Orb, Tribal Drift, Zion Train, 808 State and Fun-da-mental, along with Czech groups like Liquid Harmony, Hypnotix, Ecstasy of St. Theresa and Significant Other. During the two days, thousands of spectators had a chance the dance to the sounds of jungle, drum'n'bass, hip hop, house or techno music, with of course individual groups' elements of ethno, dub, trance and acid jazz. The stage was nestled among the trees of the moat, while in the background festivalgoers could enjoy a tattoo parlor, body piercing, hair-dying, tea rooms and various other attractions, including a fashion show between concerts. Festival highlights included the performance of Australian group Zion Train, which, with its nimble dub-techno rhythm and charismatic singer, brought visitors near a dance mania, which at the end of that first evening was capped off by Transglobal Underground and its singer, Natacha Atlas, who will return to Prague's Roxy Theater June 20. The second day saw Tribal Drift's inspiring show, after which the energy level was blown through the roof by the multi-national rappers and ethnic musicians of Fun-da-mental. The pearl of the festival was its closing act, England's DJ duo The Orb, known for their aversion to live performance. Festival organizers D Smack U Promotion lured them for their only concert this year by promising them an overnight stay in Prague Castle. Both nights came to a close at about 3 a.m. The top-notch groups, strong attendance and relatively good organization (which overcame heavy rains May 30 and sound breakdowns both nights) suggest the Deer Moat will live again in 1999. Jana Ciglerova/Michael Bluhm CULTURE IN BRIEF * The 53rd Prague Spring (Prazske jaro) music festival came to an end June 3 to the traditional sounds of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (see Carolina 289). * Actor Karel Augusta died May 30, one week before his 63rd birthday. A graduate of Prague's Theater Academy (DAMU), Augusta performed in many theaters, in the 70's in Prague's Theater on the Balustrade (Divadlo na zabradli) and the Prague City Theaters (Mestska divadla prazska). In front of the camera Augusta excelled in comic supporting roles, appearing in the films All Good Natives (Vsichni dobri rodaci) and The Oil Lamps (Petrolejove lampy). Petr Bilek Jr./Denisa Vitkova SPORTS Czech Soccer Leagues' Fifth Year Finished Sparta Praha, with the league title wrapped up, lost in Olomouc 0-1 but in the last round defeated Teplice 3-1 after an exhibition-like performance. After the match Sparta celebrated its fourth title in the five-year history of the Czech league. Slavia took second place after a win against Dukla, but is still not sure it will participate in the UEFA Cup. European Soccer Union UEFA representatives meanwhile said each owner can have only one team in one European cup competition, and Slavia's owner ENIC has a majority in other teams, including Glasgow Rangers, AEK Athens and Vicenza. Third place and certain participation in the UEFA Cup belong to Olomouc, thanks to its 29th round win in Pribram. Together with Lazne Bohdanec, Ceske Budejovice will be relegated to the second league. Blsany and Karvina were promoted to replace them in the first league next year. Results of the 29th round: Zizkov - Brno 2-0, Plzen - Hradec Kralove 0-0, Liberec - Ostrava 3-1, Ceske Budejovice - Opava 0-0, Olomouc - Sparta Praha 1-0, Bohdanec - Drnovice 1-1, Teplice - Jablonec 2-2, Slavia - Dukla 1-0. Results of the 30th round: Sparta Praha - Teplice 3-1, Dukla - Olomouc 0-3, Jablonec - Plzen 2-0, Brno - Ceske Budejovice 0-2, Hradec Kralove - Zizkov 2-0, Opava - Bohdanec 0-0, Drnovice - Liberec 1-0, Ostrava - Slavia 1-1. Final Standings: 1. Sparta Praha 71 2. Slavia Praha 59 3. Sigma Olomouc 55 4. Banik Ostrava 50 5. Slovan Liberec 47 6. FK Jablonec 46 7. FK Teplice 40 8. Viktoria Zizkov 39 9. Petra Drnovice 38 10. Boby Brno 37 11. Kaucuk Opava 34 12. Hradec Kralove 34 13. Viktoria Plzen 34 14. FC Dukla 33 15. Ceske Budejovice 31 16. Atl. Lazne Bohdanec 11 Czech Tennis Players Fall in French Open Jana Novotna finished in the quarterfinal of the French Open in Paris, losing to American Monica Seles 6-4, 3-6, 3-6. The last Czech player in the men's competition, Bohdan Ulihrach, said good-bye in the third round after being spanked by 13th-seeded Alberto Costa of Spain 3-6, 3-6, 0-6. Daniel Vacek lost to 18-year-old Marat Safin of Russia 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 5-7. Safin participated in the tournament after a successful trip through qualification and also defeated former world number one Andre Agassi. Czech men Damm, Dosedel, Novak and world number two Petr Korda were shut out in the first round. In women's singles, Hrdlickova and Gersi advanced to the second round. Jiri Polak/Mirek Langer Czech Handball Players Still Waiting for Point in World Championships The Czech national handball team has still not won a point in the World Championships preliminary round group in Merano, Italy, and lost a chance to land a satisfying position. After some good play they lost in the first match to Russia 21-22, then they kept up with Croatia for 40 minutes (final: 24-30) and then played their worst match of the tournament against Spain (final: 22-35). Jiri Polak/Mirek Langer SPORTS IN BRIEF * Pole vaulter Daniela Bartova broke the European record at a track and field meet in Cottbus, Germany May 27. She jumped 450 centimeters and beat the record of Ukraine's Balakhonova by 13 centimeters. Jiri Polak/Mirek Langer WEATHER During the week, beautiful, warm and sunny days alternated with rainy, cold and entirely ugly days. While the cause of May 30's shower is still being investigated, the source of June 3's squall is already known: the heavens cried over Jana Novotna's loss in the French Open in Paris. Meteorologists warn that the weather will not have mercy on us in the coming days. Jan Puncochar/Mirek Langer 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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