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 THE CZECH REPUBLIC Charles University in Prague Faculty of Social Sciences Smetanovo nabr. 6 110 01 Prague 1 Czech Republic e-mail: CAROLINA@mbox.fsv.cuni.cz ISSN 121-5040 tel: (+4202) 22112252, fax: (+4202) 22112219 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 368, Friday, March 24, 2000. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (March 15 - March 22) Government's Election Reform Bill Allows Voting Abroad The Social Democrat Government kept its agreement with the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and approved the proposal of amendments to Parliamentary and Local Election Act March 15. The amendments would bring many changes which, in theory, favor large parties. Elections to the Chamber of Deputies will maintain their proportional system, but some elements of the majority system were radically strengthened. Instead of the eight existing districts there will be 35 smaller ones, each electing from four to six deputies. To earn seats in the Chamber of Deputies, parties will still need at least 5 per cent of the vote, two-party coalitions 7 per cent and four-party coalitions 11 per cent. The changes should mean a majority government can be formed by two parties. Approving the bill would mean a radical breakthrough for Czech citizens who live abroad. They would be ale to vote at consulates and embassies headed by a Czech diplomat. People without Czech citizenship will be able to vote (or be elected) in the local elections providing they are permanent residents in the area. According to additional agreements between the Social Democrats and ODS concluded at the beginning of this year, Parliament should approve of the amendments by the end of July. The amendments would come into force in 2002, i.e. in the year of the next Parliamentary elections. Deputies of the Communist Party (KSCM), the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and the Freedom Union (US) are against the law, but ODS and the Social Democrats will have the simple majority needed for the passing of the bill in the Chamber. Lenka Ludvikova/Simon Dominik Zeman Takes Responsibility for Secret Service Prime Minister Milos Zeman met Jan Klas, Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies' Committee for the Control of the Security Information Service (Bezpecnostni informacni sluzba - BIS) March 20. Klas, a Civic Democratic Party (ODS) member, was one of the critics of Zeman's decision to oversee himself the activities of BIS. This had been the competence of former Minister Jaroslav Basta, but Zeman did not want to give the responsibility to Basta's successor Karel Brezina. Klas said he agreed with Zeman's intentions after the meeting. The Army Defense Intelligence (Vojenske obranne zpravodajstvi) and General Staff Intelligence Service (Zpravodajska sluzba generalniho stabu) will remain under the Defense Ministry, while the Office for Foreign Relations and Information (Urad pro zahranicni styky a informace) will now be managed by the Foreign Ministry. Zeman and Klas also discussed the conflict between the prime minister and President Vaclav Havel. The controversy concerns two special police forces: the Unit for Fighting Organized Crime (Utvar pro boj s organizovanym zlocinem) and the Service for Investigating Corruption and Serious Economic Crime (Sluzba pro odhalovani korupce a zavazne hospodarske kriminality). The president has visited these forces recently and expressed his satisfaction with and support for their work. Interior Minister Vaclav Grulich expressed similar thoughts. However, Zeman said the opposite is true. During a meeting of the Social Democrat party Presidium March 11, he said "analysis of their work shows their productivity is in no way shining." The situation escalated to such an extent that the president authorized BIS March 13 to find out whether someone was trying to destabilize the forces. Zeman and Klas said they were surprised that the President "trumpeted," in Zeman's words, that he asked BIS to investigate. Director of the Political Section of the Office of the President Pavel Fischer said it was intentional and useful in its result. The Committee for the Control of BIS discussed the conflict March 21 but did not take any decisions. The deputies agreed that the conflict should not have been discussed in the media. Jan Skala and Jan Moravek/Simon Dominik Hitler's Mein Kampf in Stores Adolf Hitler's book Mein Kampf (My Struggle) was released and has been on sale in stores since March 21. It is the third Czech edition (the second since November 1989), but the protests and public discussion surrounding this version have been significant - it is the first time Mein Kampf has been published without any introduction, commentary or notes, yet the work itself is complete and has an unusually large first run - 10,000 copies. The loudest objections come from the Federation of Jewish Communities, the Czech Freedom Fighters Union, and many politicians and historians are also protesting. The debate on freedom of expression will probably be concretely tested by criminal charges against the publisher - Michal Zitek from the Otakar II publishing house. He says he wants to publish books that fundamentally influenced modern history, his upcoming titles including the Communist Manifesto and Capital. Marek Uhlir/Ondrej Maly Jana Volfova Creates "Women's Shadow Cabinet" Social Democrat deputy Jana Volfova fulfilled her promise March 16 and introduced the women's shadow Cabinet, formed exclusively by females. Her idea was born when Prime Minister Milos Zeman recently explained that to this point all his ministers have been men because they had shown themsleves to be more professionally qualified. Volfova said she wanted to prove there were many female professionals in the Czech Republic capable of creating their own program and solving major problems. Among the shadow ministers is 1983 world champion shot-putter Helena Fibingerova (Youth and Sports), writer Eva Kanturkova (Culture), Czech Railways General Inspector Kvetoslava Korinkova (Transportation) and Deputy Interior Minister Yvonne Streckova (Interior). No prime minister or defense minister was named, because, Volfova said, "we already have one prime minister and we do not want an army." Tereza Tesarikova/Ondrej Maly NEWS IN BRIEF * The Supreme Commander of NATO forces in Europe, General Wesley Clark, discussed the situation in Kosovo and NATO enlargement during his two-day visit in the Czech Republic March 21-22. Clark praised the efforts of Czech troops stationed in Kosovo. However, Clark called for the transformation of the Czech armed forces involving better English, stable financing and modern technology. Czech Defense Minister Vladimir Vetchy decorated General Clark with the First Class Cross of Honor. * President Vaclav Havel was released March 20 from hospital, where he was hospitalized with chronic bronchitis a week ago. Doctors recommended him to stay away from work for one more week. Nevertheless, Havel is supposed to appoint new Minister without Portfolio Karel Brezina, 27, who will replace Jaroslav Basta, the former head of the Clean Hands Coordination and Analytic Group. * Ladislav Lis, 74, former dissident, Charter 77 spokesman and current member of the government Council for Human Rights, died unexpectedly March 19. Lis, a lifelong left-wing radical, was an active member of the resistance during the Nazi occupation of 1939-1945, he joined the Communist Party in 1943 and was twice - in 1961 and 1969 - expelled from the party. As an opponent of the post-1968 regime Lis was arrested and imprisoned several times in the 70's and 80's. After 1989 he was elected as a Civic Forum deputy to the Federal Assembly. Later he engaged himself in human-rights issues and protested recently against the construction of a wall around Romany housing in Maticni Street (see Carolina 351-353). Martin Rusek, David Mirejovsky, Jaroslav Sauer/Milan Smid FOREIGN AFFAIRS * The Foreign Ministers of Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic Bronislaw Geremek, Janos Martonyi and Jan Kavan declared their support for Slovak membership in NATO at their meeting in Budapest March 18. The three foreign ministers suggested the NATO membership of their countries contributed to the cohesion of the Alliance during the NATO action in Kosovo. Martin Rusek/Milan Smid * Seven members of the Czech KFOR mission spent a few hours in Serbian captivity. Soldiers from the 4th Reconnaissance Company drove in an armoured troop-carrier past the Kosovo-Serbian administrative frontier and were checking the terrain, but got lost in a blizzard and inadvertently left Kosovo. The Serbs captured them shortly after in the village of Merdare. Such incidents have occurred in the past and were also resolved quickly. Martin Rusek/Simon Dominik * The Dutch company CME Czech Republic B.V., owned by Ronald Lauder, launched February 22 another arbitration proceeding against the Czech Republic under the Bilateral Investment Treaty between the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. That is the third legal action in the TV NOVA dispute (see Carolina 351-352). The first suit was initiated by the CME B.V. against Vladimir Zelezny, the TV NOVA general director, the second legal dispute was begun by Lauder as an American citizen against the Czech state for not protecting his investments in the Czech Republic. The TV NOVA quarel may have an impact on the broadcasting of the World Hockey Championships. Broadcasting rights for the event are still owned by the Lauder-controlled company CNTS, which does not want to sell it to Zelezny and his company CET-21, the license holder for TV NOVA. Dita Kristanova/Milan Smid FROM SLOVAKIA HZDS Changes from Movement to Party, Meciar Still Boss Transformation from a movement to a "people's" party, the election of all new vice chairmen and the confirmation of Vladimir Meciar as the leader of the party were the results of the March 18 congress of the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) held March 18. The new formal character of the party meant changes in the program and articles of association. Meciar was re-elected unanimously (he abstained, there being no other candidate). More than 300 delegates to the congress in Trnava approved a political declaration stating support for joining NATO and the EU. Meciar said there was no other option to NATO today and rejected potential government coalitions with parties against Slovak NATO membership. In a speech for foreign delegates Meciar admitted and apologized for mistakes in privatization. Incumbent Vice Chairmen Gustav Krajci, Sergej Kozlik, Rudolf Ziak and Vojtech Tkac were replaced by Meciar's candidates. Vice Chairwoman for Foreign Affairs is Zdena Kramplova, former Foreign Minister in one Meciar government. Social questions will be in the competence of Jozef Kalman, a former union leader. Miroslav Maxon, former finance minister, is responsible for economic issues and Vice Chairman Jan Gabriel will concentrate on regional and community development. Jozef Bozik will be concerned with media; so few members of the party knew Bozik that he was elected on the second ballot. One party from the governing coalition was present at the congress - the Party of the Democratic Left (SDL'). Andrea Slovakova/Veronika Hankusova Visa Requirement for Ukraine, Russia, Belorussia and Cuba The Slovak National Council adopted March 22 a law requiring visas for Ukrainian citizens from June 28. That also means Slovak visa policy will be harmonized with the Czech Republic. Visa-free traffic with Russia and Belorussia will come to an end January 1, 2001. According to the law, visa requirements for Cuban citizens will be introduced six months before Slovakia joins the European Union. Premier Mikulas Dzurinda said introducing visas "should be a barrier against organized crime, illegal work, crime and another undesirable phneomena." Andrea Slovakova/Milan Smid ECONOMY Record Profit for Skoda Carmaker The net profit of the Volkswagen-controlled Skoda company reached a record of 2.64 billion crowns last year despite a decrease in car production caused by the introduction of the new Fabia model to the assembly line, said Skoda CEO Vratislav Kulhanek at a press conference March 16. The record profit was created mainly in foreign markets. Skoda in 1999 exported automobiles worth nearly 90 billion crowns. This sum represents 9.6 per cent of the country's overall export. The daily Hospodarske noviny published the data according to which the Mlada Boleslav carmaker sold 385,330 cars in 1999, of those 192,156 in Western Europe. Jakub Tronicek/Milan Smid ECONOMY IN BRIEF * The crisis in the Securities Commission (Komise pro cenne papiry, KCP) came to a head this week when Commissioner Jana Pospisilova resigned and President Vaclav Havel said he would recall Chairman Jan Muller. Pospisilova and Muller formed one camp in the commission at war with the the three other commissioners - Tomas Jezek, Frantisek Jakub and Irena Pelikanova. The government proposed the recall of Muller and Jezek, but after Pospisilova resigned, Havel could not recall both Muller and Jezek because the commission would not have a quorum. Muller had expressed the wish to leave, saying "I will never return to regulation of the capital market," while Jezek said he wanted to stay. The war between the factions - Jezek and his cohorts filed a criminal complaint against Muller - has paralyzed the actions of the commission. Muller called a press conference, at which Pospislova's resignation letter was made public. Pospisilova has left the country, and in the letter she says she has lost faith in democracy in the Czech Republic. * The crisis in the Commerce Bank (Komercni banka, KB) continued to escalate this week with the completion of a forensic audit by Deloitte and Touche of the bank's engagement with the Austrian company B.C.L. Trading, which apparently absconded with some 8 billion crowns from the bank. The report details how limits for B.C.L., belonging to Barak Alon, were repeatedly exceeded by bank employees, who withheld damning information about B.C.L. from the bank's board of directors. Once the board found out negative information about B.C.L., they continued to raise the limit for the bank's engagement. Other press reports said a new gerneral director has been found after a lengthy search, but no name has yet been released. The bank's management was fired in the wake of the scandal. Jakub Tronicek/Zuzana Janeckova Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid March 24) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 EUR = 35.550 country currency CZK ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 22.297 Great Britain 1 GBP 58.228 Denmark 1 DKK 4.774 Japan 100 JPY 34.360 Canada 1 CAD 25.135 IMF 1 XDR 49.428 Hungary 100 HUF 13.823 Norway 1 NOK 4.372 New Zealand 1 NZD 17.959 Poland 1 PLN 9.086 Greece 100 GRD 10.643 Slovakia 100 SKK 85.474 Slovenia 100 SIT 17.522 Sweden 1 SEK 4.246 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.106 USA 1 USD 36.925 Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro (converted from the euro rate) country currency CZK ----------------------------------------- Germany 1 DEM 18.176 Belgium 100 BEF 88.126 Finland 1 FIM 5.979 France 1 FRF 5.420 Ireland 1 IEP 45.139 Italy 1000 ITL 18.360 Luxemburg 100 LUF 88.126 Netherlands 1 NLG 16.132 Portugal 100 PTE 17.732 Austria 1 ATS 2.584 Spain 100 ESP 21.366 CULTURE Give a Hand to the Children of Sierra Leone Jan Sibik, photographer from the weekly magazine Reflex, from March 10-24 on Prague's Wenceslas Square is displaying 12 photographs from his journey to Sierra Leone. The pictures show children and adults at a camp for those wounded during the civil war in the country. Most of them, the children no exception, are missing feet, fingers, ears or even both hands. The profits from the exhibit - organized partially by UNICEF - will be sent to two camps in Sierra Leone. In one of them, children-killers are recovering from their experiences in the war. There is a documentary being shown about them at the exhibit. Donations can be made at the exhibit (by March 18 about 164,000 crowns were collected) or on the account 2200022-5100, variable symbol 2994 (by March 18 about 48,000 crowns were received). The photographs are also on the page www.sibik.cz. Gabriela Bobkova/Daniela Vrbova Exhibit on Terezin Theater Arnost Lustig, a Czech author who spent three years in a concentration camp during World War II, opened a permanent exhibit March 15 on the theater in the Magdeburg Barracks of the Terezin (Theresienstadt) concentration camp and ghetto. The theater, although initiated by the Nazis (to show the humane living conditions to the Red Cross), was a great source of encouragement for the prisoners. "We were living in filth and humiliation, but thanks to the theater we knew we had something from the world outside. It reminded the people of their trampled dignity," Lustig said in the daily Lidove noviny March 16. Marek Uhlir/Daniela Vrbova Grease Is Coming to Conquer Prague This is the advertising slogan for the Prague performance of the musical Grease by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The Czech version had its premiere in December, and is performed every day except Monday in Prague's Pyramida Theater. Stage desinger Michael Klang put sponsor's names on the scene such that they match the colourful design of the costumes and sets. Grease is not the only musical attracting full houses in Prague. Hamlet - a project by Czech pop singer Janek Ledecky - is also running, along with Evita and My Fair Lady. More musicals threaten on the horizon - Joan of Arc should have its premiere March 31, and the Count of Monte Cristo and Phantom of the Opera are in rehearsal. Petra Kovacova/Daniela Vrbova SPORTS Sparta Praha Done in Champions League after Unlucky Loss to Barcelona After last week's game in Porto, Sparta had to defeat the elite FC Barcelona and hope for a Hertha Berlin win over Porto to advance among the eight best European teams in the UEFA Champions League. Sparta kept its chance to advance alive in Porto thanks to Milan Fukal's 90th-minute goal March 15. Porto led 2-0 in the 64th minute and all hope seemed lost. First, Esquerdinha's free kick deflected off Sparta's defensive wall to Jorge Costa, who scored, and after the break Nuno Capucho extended the lead. Sparta did not lose its head and in the last minutes won a point: Vratislav Lokvenc scored on an individual break in the 74th minute and the final score was determined by the phantom of the final minute - Fukal: he has scored twice in the last two Champions League games, both in the 90th minute. Against Barcelona, Sparta started offensively, while the Catalan team defended. In the 18th minute Zdenek Svoboda scored off a deflected ball. Sparta then kept the lead and as Berlin was tied at halftime with Porto 0-0, hope remained alive. In the second half, Sparta's play became more cautious and Gabri in the 52nd minute took advantage of a defensive mistake. Barcelona started to play good soccer, full of combinations, but no team saw a scoring chance until the 88th minute, when Lokvenc was fouled by goalkeeper Ruud Hesp. Hesp, however, saved the weak penalty shot from Pavel Hapal. On the counterattack, Gabri scored again to give Barcelona a 2-1 victory. Sparta had a few last chances (Gabri deflected Novotny's header in front of the goal), but could not convert. Alzbeta Trousilova and Mirek Langer/Mirek Langer Soccer League: Vratislav Lokvenc Scores Four Times in Budejovice Sparta was losing in Ceske Budejovice 0-1 after Karel Vacha's goal. However, in the second half, a different Sparta team stepped on the pitch: the offense. Vratislav Lokvenc started his scoring show in the 52nd minute on Libor Sionko's centering pass. Lokvenc then added two more goals and coach Ivan Hasek wanted to take him out. But Lokvenc added yet a fourth goal and when leaving the field was applauded by the Budejovice crowd. Slavia did not play well against Pribram. Dukla led after Radek Cizek converted a questionable penalty in the 19th minute. Slavia tried to get the injustice right, Ulich leveled soon and then the home team controlled the game. Tomas Kuchar and Pavel Horvath from the penalty shot determined the 3-1 final score. After a 2-2 tie in Opava, Ostrava coach Werner Licka resigned. Rostislav Vojacek will replace him until the end of the season. Results of the 21st round: Brno - Teplice 2-1, Liberec - Drnovice 0-0, Blsany - Olomouc 1-0, Ostrava - Opava 2-2, Hradec Kralove - Zizkov 0-0, Bohemians Praha - Jablonec 2-0, Ceske Budejovice - Sparta Praha 1-4, Slavia Praha - Pribram 3-1. Standings: 1. Slavia Praha 55, 2. Sparta Praha 51, 3. Drnovice 37, 4. Bohemians Praha 31, 5. Blsany 30, 6. Teplice 27, 7. Ceske Budejovice 27, 8. Brno 26, 9. Ostrava 25, 10. Liberec 24, 11. Pribram 24, 12. Olomouc 23, 13. Opava 22, 14. Zizkov 21, 15. Hradec Kralove 17, 16. Jablonec 17. Dita Kristanova/Mirek Langer Hockey Extraleague: Playoffs Start, Sparta, Vsetin and Litvinov Advance The eight best teams of the regular season started the hockey extraleague playoffs, played in best-of-five series. Sparta Praha and Vsetin advanced to the semifinals in three games, Litvinov in four. Sparta and Vsetin both began at home. Sparta's form improved each game. Vsetin advanced from its series against Ceske Budejovice, breaking their opponent's streak of 26 home games without a loss. Litvinov's performances were a big surprise: under Robert Reichel's leadership the team won twice in Zlin and after a small complication at home, it decided the series with a 3-1 win in the fourth game. In an even series between Pilsen (Plzen) and Trinec, Pilsen is up 2-1 in games after crushing its opponent 9-0 (seven goals in the second period). In the semifinals, Sparta will meet Litvinov and Vsetin will play the winner of the Pilsen - Trinec tie. Results of the playoff quarterfinals: Sparta - Pardubice 3-0 (individual games results: 3-1, 2-1, 5-1); Vsetin - Ceske Budejovice 3-0 (3-0, 6-3 ,3-0); Zlin - Litvinov 1-3 (1-2, 2-4, 3-2, 1-3); Trinec - Plzen 1-2 (3-1, 1-3, 0-9). Jaroslav Sauer/Mirek Langer SPORTS IN BRIEF * Slavia Praha lost in its first UEFA Cup quarterfinal match in Leeds 0-3 March 16. Slavia players seemed frightened by the sold-out stadium and did not play their usual game. * Ladislav Rygl finished third overall in the nordic combined World Cup. In the final race he finished 12th. * Hana Cerna's fourth place in the 400 individual medley and Daniel Malek's two fifth places in breaststroke final heats were the best Czech finishes in the short-course swimming World Championships in Athens, Greece. * Milan Dolak in a Toyota won the first event of the Czech Republic Rally Championships, the Sumava Rally, March 17-18. Dita Kristanova and Mirek Langer/Mirek Langer WEATHER On March 20 at 8:35 a.m. we came under the reign of spring, at least from the point of view of astronomy. On the one hand, the sun is more daring, Prague's hills are gaining some color in their traditional gray. On the other hand, ski lifts in the moutains are still working (snow reports: Lysa 221 cm, Destna 60 cm, Pec pod Snezkou 110 cm, Klinovec 160 cm, Kvilda 100 cm). Residents of valleys are scared by the idea that some warm southern monsoon might turn their community into a lake once again. Daytime temperatures above 10 degrees Celsius/41 degrees Fahrenheit are no longer the exception, evidence that spring is coming. Jan Skala/Milan Smid English version edited by Michael Bluhm. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with attribution to CAROLINA. Subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. 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