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) 22112252, fax: (+4202) 24810987 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 299, Friday, August 14, 1998. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST TWO WEEKS (July 30 - August 12) Zeman's Government Releases Program Statement Prime Minister Milos Zeman's minority government discussed and approved the final version of its program statement at the August 5 Cabinet meeting. Unlike previous governments, the Social Democrats made the program statement public in advance, before the beginning of debate in Parliament. The program statement consists of five parts, including an introduction and a closing chapter. The second part defines the basic objectives of the government. The third part describes the current condition of the country and the starting position of the government. The fourth and largest chapter introduces concrete measures to be taken in order to achieve the government's goals, measures which should be converted into drafts of bills submitted for approval to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The central objective of the government "is to contribute to Czech society becoming a society of education, co-participation and solidarity, and in that sense would transform itself into a modern society of the 21st century." The government would like to encourage "permanent and many-sided social dialogue." As to relations between the public and private sectors, the government is devoted to the European Union ideal of lasting partnership between those sectors. "We do not think that it is appropriate to retain in state hands the economic subjects whose purpose is to pursue maximum profit, but we also do not think that the subjects which perform public services shall be subordinated without limit to the invisible hand of the market," said the second part of the statement. According to the third part of the statement, the present state of Czech society results from the effects of 40 years of Communist rule on the one hand, and on the other hand from the first eight years after the overthrow of that regime. In the Czech Republic there is "basic economic stagnation, sometimes considered economic crisis." In such a situation the government sees the necessity to make the public familiar with the real state of affairs, and shall present an overall evaluation of the present situation "free from any ideological ballast and based on solid statistical data." In the part reserved for the economy, the need "for a substantial increase in the transparency of the economic environment and business relations" was given the highest priority. The government is going "to grasp firmly the administration of the remaining state shares in companies." The government will create "a level playing field for the different kinds of ownership sectors in the economy, and will in particular eliminate the continuing discrimination against the co-operative movement." The program statement promises tax reform and the support and promotion of domestic and foreign investment. The government declares its commitment "to defend and promote Czech national interests," and aspires "to integrate the Czech Republic among the active participants of European and, within its limits, also of world policy ... Integration of the Czech Republic into the European Union and membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, together with maintaining good and stable relations with neighboring states, are the main priorities of Czech foreign policy," declares the program. Media and Politicians Comment on Program Statement The program statement of the new Czech government became the hottest topic in the Czech media during the last two weeks. After the statement was published August 5, politicians also took to the media with their opinions. Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Chairman Vaclav Klaus on the one hand said he appreciated that the government "did not resort to nonsensical language and terminology," and that it "used a specific vocabulary and does not have bombastic bon mots." On the other hand, in an interview for the commercial radio network Frequency 1 after his return from a vacation in Austria, Klaus said: "I consider the main tragedy of the program statement not its particularities, but its whole. The main tragedy is that some particular things, which could have been done separately, in their total result in utter absurdity." According to Christian Democrat Chairman Josef Lux, the program statement includes many good aims and intentions, but their generality is not convincing enough to make his party believe the minority government will be able to carry them out. The Christian Democrats are not going to vote for Prime Minister Milos Zeman's Social Democrat cabinet, because "this government came into being through a contract which does not guarantee the stable functioning and performance of the government," said Lux. The Freedom Union (US) has resolutely rejected the government program, and will vote against the government. On the contrary, Vice Chairman of the Communists (KSCM) Vlastimil Balin said to the CTK wire agency: "There are a number of points in the program statement which correspond with our party program." Nevertheless, the Communists do not like the foreign policy of the government and its support for joining NATO. War of Words between Czech and German Politicians Theo Waigel, German Finance Minister and Chairman of the Bavarian Christian Democratic Union (CSU), labelled statements made by Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman in a July 26 TV Prima talk show as a "serious violation of Czech-German dialogue." When speaking about the Coordination Council of the Czech-German Discussion Forum founded in the Czech-German Declaration, Zeman said: "There should be people who supported the Declaration in the Discussion Forum. The Sudeten German Landsmannschaft was by no means among the organizations which supported the Declaration. And as from our part there are not any Communists and Republicans, I don't see any reason why the Landsmannschaft should be on the German side." Waigel objected to the comparison made by Zeman, which put the members of the Sudeten German expatriate association (Landsmannschaft), which contains diverse political attitudes, on the same level with the Czech Communists and neo-fascist Republicans, and asked for an apology. Zeman's comments became the subject of the first foreign talks for new Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kavan, who met his German counterpart Klaus Kinkel July 30 in Berlin. They tried to downplay the event. However, German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Bundestag Speaker Rita Suessmuth later made some critical remarks addressed to Zeman. Zeman, on vacation and out of the reach of the media, did not join the aftermath of opinions, and the official government stance was presented by Vice Prime Minister Egon Lansky, who described the controversy as a misunderstanding caused by a wrong interpretation of Zeman's words, and he considered the whole discussion "unfortunate." Editors of dailies MF DNES and Lidove noviny criticized Zeman, reminding him that he is no longer the opposition leader, but the prime minister, who should formulate statements more carefully and whose words are more strictly evaluated. Otto Pick, Kavan's first deputy, said to the daily Slovo: "I do not consider this a fundamental crisis in the Czech-German relations. It is merely an incident." After deadline: The Czech-German controversy was still smoldering when Kohl verbally attacked Zeman at a press conference August 12 for "totally unacceptable interference" in the German election campaign. It is not clear what specific statement caused Kohl's angry reaction. Some sources related it to the above mentioned Zeman performance on the TV Prima talk show, while others think Kohl meant the German DPA wire agency story of August 6 which included also other Social Democrat opinions and Lansky's statement. Kohl contested the opinion that the present tense relations between Bonn and Prague could be overcome only by a new Social Democrat government in Germany. Havel Recovering after Critical Situation The medical team taking care of President Vaclav Havel refused to say whether Havel would go through with his trip to the USA planned for mid-September. Havel, who July 26 had his colostomy closed (see Carolina 298), was afflicted by serious post-surgery complications. While convalescence from the intestinal operation has proceeded well, breathing problems and reduced immunity leading to infection and pneumonia forced doctors August 3 to perform a tracheotomy - opening a hole in the throat for breathing. The next day his heart rate soared and his blood pressure dropped, and Havel fell into critical condition, which had to be stabilized with electroshocks and intensive drug care. Since then Havel's convalescence has continuously progressed to such an extent that both Austrian doctors - Ernst Bodner, the surgeon who closed the colostomy, and Walter Hasibeder, the anesthesiologist who was invited during the post-surgery crisis - could leave the medical team and return home. Havel is now eating, he is breathing without the help of a machine and he is walking and leaving his emergency room in the Central Military Hospital in Prague. Doctor are very cautious in making any prognosis and refuse to say when the tracheotomy is going to be removed. "We don't have to be in a hurry," said Czech anesthesiologist Bohumil Limberk August 10. It is supposed that after the tracheotomy will be removed Havel will have to stay in the hospital one or two more weeks. Temelin Conflict Resolved by Compromise A team of 12 experts, eight from the Czech Republic and four foreigners, will give an opinion on the partially completed Temelin nuclear power plant by the end of the year. The make-up of the commission was decided by the Cabinet August 12, and thus fulfilled the July 1 decision of the previous government and also settled a brewing conflict between Trade Minister Miroslav Gregr and Environment Minister Milos Kuzvart, which spilled into the public August 4. Gregr wanted to limit the the activity of the commission to economic matters and rejected the participation of foreign experts, while Kuzvart agreed with the original aim given to the commission by former Prime Minister Josef Tosovsky. The appraisal of the commission, expected this year, will be a recommendation whether the Czech Republic should finish the plant. ECONOMY Unemployment up, Inflation down The Czech Republic set a record for unemployment, with the rate for July reaching 6.1 per cent, the largest percentage recorded since 1989, according to information released August 10 by the Labor Ministry. July's increase was influenced by the end of the school year, when thousands of young people left school and unsuccessfully entered the working world. Of the 313,841 registered unemployed Czechs, 51,069 are young and recent graduates. The inflation rate, which in the first half of the year was above average levels, declined for the second consecutive month. Despite increases in state rents and the price of energy, consumer prices rose in July by 10.4 per cent, less than in the preceding months or in last summer. Economists expect that the promising trend should move the Czech National Bank to lower interest rates further. Skoda Plzen in the Red, Gregr Wants to Help Tatra Skoda Plzen, which controls the 20 daughter companies with the Skoda name and other companies like Tatra Koprivnice and Liaz, ended 1997 with a loss of 4.2 billion crowns, despite assurances from General Director Lubomir Soudek to investors that the loss would not exceed 1.8 billion crowns. Aside from daughter companies in the red, like Tatra Koprivnice, the poor showing was primarily influenced by the creation of reserves from problem debts. While some creditors, such as the Investment and Postal Bank (Investicni a postovni banka) and Commerce Bank (Komercni banka) have implied they would welcome a change in Skoda Plzen management, Trade Minister Miroslav Gregr said Soudek's entrepreneurial vision is not unrealistic or without hope. Gregr also promised to push in the government for a plan under which part of Tatra Koprivnice's debt would by paid by the state's Consolidation Bank in exchange for new Tatra shares, and the plan would try to convince Commerce Bank, to which Tatra owes 4 billion crowns, to do likewise. A debt-free Tatra could more easily find a strategic foreign investor. The unknown American company SDC International has expressed interest in buying Tatra with its debts. Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid August 14) country currency ----------------------------------- Australia 1 AUD 19.229 Belgium 100 BEF 87.730 Great Britain 1 GBP 52.627 Denmark 1 DKK 4.752 ECU 1 XEU 35.689 Finland 1 FIM 5.952 France 1 FRF 5.398 Ireland 1 IEP 45.432 Italy 1000 ITL 18.349 Japan 100 JPY 22.201 Canada 1 CAD 21.298 Luxemburg 100 LUF 87.730 IMF 1 XDR 42.995 Hungary 100 HUF 14.522 Netherlands 1 NLG 16.055 Norway 1 NOK 4.251 New Zealand 1 NZD 16.306 Poland 1 PLN 9.271 Portugal 100 PTE 17.683 Austria 1 ATS 2.572 Greece 100 GRD 10.816 Germany 1 DEM 18.100 Slovakia 100 SKK 90.986 Slovenia 100 SIT 19.220 Spain 100 ESP 21.321 Sweden 1 SEK 3.978 Switzerland 1 CHF 21.731 USA 1 USD 32.364 CULTURE Commemorating 1968 On August 20 the MAT cinema in Prague will inaugurate a weeklong series of documentary films on 1968. To the day 30 years earlier, the armies of Warsaw Pact countries invaded then-Czechoslovakia and put an end to the reforms taking place under party secretary Alexander Dubcek. One of the highlights of the film series is titled 7 Days, which was completed by director Rudolf Krejcek 30 years ago in Canada. The cycle will also include films uncovered after the events of 1989. On August 12 Czech Television broadcast in prime time the first segment of the three-part documentary Interrupted Spring from Milan Maryska. Maryska and his dramaturg Jefim Fistejn visited actors in the events of 1968 in the Czech Republic, as well as in Russia and Slovakia. Some of them, such as hard-line Slovak Communist Vasil Bilak and Commander Majorov of the Warsaw Pact Army have not changed their negative opinion of the reforms of the 1968 Prague Spring. The second segment will be broadcast August 19, on the eve of the anniversary of the invasion. SPORTS Hasek Voted Best Czech Hockey Player for Fifth Time Goalie Dominik Hasek took another big step toward the position of the best Czech hockey player ever by winning his fifth Golden Stick (Zlata hokejka), the trophy awarded to the best Czech hockey player each year. He broke the record of Vladimir Martinec, a forward from Pardubice, who won the trophy four times in the 70's. Hasek earned points for the trophy twice - on the national team, which won the Nagano Olympics, and in the NHL. On Buffalo Sabres he recorded the league's best save percentage and won the prestigious Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Vezina Trophy for best goalie. Hasek won the Gold Stick first in 1987, then in 1989, 1990 and 1997. Jaromir Jagr, who led the NHL in regular-season points, finished second and Jiri Dopita, the Czech extraleague star, finished third. The 17 top vote-getters played for the national team in Nagano. The 1998 Gold Stick results: 1. Hasek (Buffalo-NHL) 560, 2. Jagr (Pittsburgh-NHL) 481, 3. Dopita (Vsetin) 361, 4. Reichel (N.Y.Islanders-NHL) 247, 5. Slegr (Pittsburgh-NHL) 245), 6. Svoboda (Philadelphia-NHL) 233, 7. Patera (Vsetin) 218, 8. Kucera (Sparta) 197, 9. Ruzicka (Slavia) 103, 10. Spacek (Florida-NHL) 102. Prague Recalls Nagano Gold Medal The nearly complete squad of the Nagano Olympics hockey gold medalists returned to Prague for an enthusiastic tribute from Czech fans - a sold-out Prague Sports Hall watched the Dream Match between the Golden Team and the Stars Team August 6. On the Golden Team, only goalkeeper Hnilicka and defender Kucera were missing, because they flew to Japan with their club, Sparta Praha. On the contrary, Petr Svoboda, who scored the winning goal in the Olympics final and then missed the cataclysmic celebrations in Old Town Square, played in the exhibition. Goalie Dominik Hasek (who organized the exhibition with Jaromir Jagr) received the greatest ovation, along with two players of the Stars Team: defender Milos Holan, who returned to hockey after suffering from leukemia, and for one of the most famous defensemen ever, 40-year-old Russian Vyacheslav Fetisov. The match was played in a traditional exhibition mood, many goals were scored and a goal pass was appreciated as much as a goal. In these conditions the play of the "Blue Line" of Hejduk, Patera and Martin Prochazka excelled. Hasek again starred, resisting opponents' attacks for the entire first period. Before the break he provoked Matthew Barnaby and lost a fight against Jiri Slegr (according to a prepared script). The match finished with a 10-7 Golden Team win (goals: Reichel 2, M. Prochazka 2, Hejduk 2, Rucinsky, Dopita, Slegr, Jagr - Zitnik, Sykora, Bondra, Palffy, Peca, Satan, Alfredsson). Soccer League Started, Novices Win, Slavia Bows The first two rounds of the top soccer league were characterized by the successful debut of new teams and Slavia's big loss in Ostrava. Fans were satisfied with the high number of scored goals. In the June 2 first round both teams promoted to the first league this year succeeded. Blsany won its first league match ever in Teplice 3-1, while the slightly more experienced Karvina defeated Jablonec 1-0. In Drnovice the new players presented themselves - Tuma scored twice, Kadlec and Otepka once. The favorites entered the season feebly, but with wins - Slavia beat Dukla 2-0, Sparta defeated Plzen 1-0. The second round finished rather differently for the Prague's S-men: while Sparta destroyed the weak Karvina team 5-0, Slavia lost to Ostrava 0-5. Tuma and his Drnovice team continued with their strong showing, winning in Jablonec the rematch for the last year's FA Cup final. Results: 1st round: Liberec - Ostrava 2-2, Slavia - Dukla 2-0, Hradec Kralove - Olomouc 1-3, Opava - Brno 2-1, Teplice - Blsany 1-3, Drnovice - Zizkov 4-2, Karvina - Jablonec 1-0, Plzen - Sparta 0-1. 2nd round: Ostrava - Slavia 5-0, Sparta - Karvina 5-0, Brno - Liberec 0-2, Dukla - Teplice 2-3, Olomouc - Blsany 2-1, Zizkov - Opava 3-2, Hradec Kralove - Plzen 3-0, Jablonec - Drnovice 1-2. Sparta, Olomouc and Drnovice are at the top of the standings, while Jablonec, Dukla, Brno and Plzen are still waiting for their first points. Czech Teams Enjoy Successful Premieres in European Soccer Cups Both Czech teams in the second preliminary round of the UEFA Cup began the competition on their home fields August 11 and put themselves in excellent position for the rematches. Slavia forgot its debacle in Ostrava and in the first European cup Czech-Slovak duel crushed Inter Bratislava 4-0 (halftime 1-0). Vagner scored twice, Kozel and Skala once each. Neither did Sigma Olomouc allow a goal and defeated Scottish FC Kilmarnock 2-0 (halftime 1-0). The goals were scored by Krohmer and Konig. The winning streak was closed out by Sparta Praha, which had the most difficult opponent in the preliminary round of the Champions League. Dinamo Kiev twice defeated powerhouse FC Barcelona last year, but on its own field did not manage to score against the well-organized play of Sparta. Baranek gave Sparta the lead in the 5th minute, which Sparta maintained until the end. SPORTS IN BRIEF * The summer break of the Italian soccer league Seria A livened up after AS Rome coach Zdenek Zeman, a Czech, accused players of doping, naming Juventus players Vialli and del Piero. * The last Czech athletes in the Goodwill Games in New York, beach volleyball players Celbova and Dosoudilova, finished the tournament with one win and two loses. * Skier Katerina Neumannova won the Czech MTB cross country championships, her teammate Korinek from the Czech Savings Bank (Ceska sporitelna) won the men's division. * Martin Doktor won five national championship titles in canoeing and will be the greatest Czech hope for the World Championships next month. * The best Czech rower, Vaclav Chalupa, won his 10th national champion title. * Italy's Enrico Bertone, in a Ford, won the Barum Rally ahead of Czech Ladislav Krecek, also in a Ford, and Stary in his Skoda Octavia. WEATHER I'm sitting in our building here on Smetana Quay and i don't know what's better - whether to open the windows and let in the fresh air and its 35-degree-Celsius/95-degree-Fahrenheit temperature, or to stay in the cool with the windows closed and without fresh air (for the uninitiated, air conditioning is as rare as a sandy beach in the Czech Republic). On the banks of the Moldau River (Vltava), the walnut trees are turning yellow, maybe from the heat, maybe from exhaust fumes. Against the backdrop of the unsullied blue sky, each day a little more smog is visible on the horizon. That's the way it is in Prague August 12, as I look through the newspapers of the past two weeks and try to choose the relevant in the Czech media for our Carolina readers - but I am not despairing, a cold front is on the way. This issue of Carolina was prepared from the Czech media by Milan Smid and Mirek Langer, translated by Smid and Michael Bluhm, and edited by Bluhm. 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