| 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 tel: (+4202) 22112252, fax: (+4202) 24810987 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 315, Friday, January 15, 1999. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (January 6 - January 13) Joschka Fischer in Prague: Germany Still Supports Czech EU Membership The meeting of Jan Kavan and Joschka Fischer, respectively the Czech Republic's and Germany's foreign ministers, took place January 6 in an optimistic atmosphere. Also during a meeting with Prime Minister Milos Zeman, the chief of German diplomacy affirmed that Bonn, which is chairing the EU for the next 6 months, is interested in accepting new members. According to Fischer, to reject expansion to the East would put into doubt the idea of European integration. Fischer cleared the air over the European policy of the new Bonn government, which wants firstly to realize EU reform and does not want to discuss specific dates or deadlines for the accession of new members. Czech-German relations are, according to both ministers, better than under the previous government in Bonn and their shared goal is to overcome any shadows of the past. Before ending his two-day visit Fischer met with Parliament Chairman Vaclav Klaus. Fischer flew from the Czech Republic to Hungary. Michaela Prokopova/Sofia Karakeva Deputies Discuss State Budget Parliament January 12 discussed the second reading of the proposed state budget with a deficit of 31 billion crowns. The second reading is about the distribution of funds within different chapters, because the revenues of 574.1 billion crowns and the expenditures of 605.1 billion crowns were approved during the first reading (see Carolina 311). Deputies propose 40 million crowns be subtracted from Zeman's Cabinet and moved from the Office of the Government to the Security Information Service (BIS). The final vote will be held January 15. This proposal will most probably be supported by the Communists (KSCM) and the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), with the Communists asking for a reduction of military spending (both parties supported the budget proposal in the first reading). The Freedom Union (US) is against the proposal, the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) might change its opposition. ODS deputies will most probably not support the budget proposal but their absence during the vote will enable its acceptance. Petr Necas (ODS), chairman of the Defense and Security Committee, indicated that ODS might change its standpoint in order to defuse KSCM's requests which might threaten Czech NATO membership. CSSD has 74 deputies in Parliament, ODS 63, KSCM 24, KDU-CSL 20 and US 19. Robin Rohrich/Sofia Karakeva After deadline: The second reading passed January 15. Visa Requirements for Eastern European Countries Still under Discussion Prime Minister Milos Zeman's Cabinet again did not approve the decision to introduce visa requirements for some eastern European countries January 11. The Foreign Ministry (MZV) and the Interior Ministry (MV) cannot agree on visa requirements for Romania, Ukraine and Bulgaria. The Foreign Ministry believes it is necessary to take this step, the Interior Ministry is opposed. Almost sure is the establishment of visa requirements for Belarus and Moldova. The reasons are that Belarus is not considered a democratic country and Moldova is still not taking any measures to reduce the number of refugees coming through its territory. Representatives of the Embassy of Belarus announced they will establish the same requirement for Czech citizens. The Czech government wants to tighten border control to prevent the increasing flood of illegal refugees passing through the Czech Republic to Western countries. The 44,112 people detained last year set a record for illegal border crossings. Neighboring countries, mainly Germany, have expressed displeasure with this fact. The questions of visa requirement and frontier control are complicated. It is not only about illegal frontier crossings but also about illegally employed foreigners, mainly from Ukraine, which lead to the increased unemployment of Czech citizens. The Trade Ministry has also raised doubts about the establishment of visa requirements. Retaliatory measures by affected countries could complicate travel for Czech citizens. Petra Machova/Sofia Karakeva Czech Parliament, not Dutch Authorities, to Investigate SPT Telecom Case The Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) has proposed setting up a special parliamentary commission for the investigation of alleged bribery during the 1995 privatization of SPT Telecom (see Carolina 314). The motion was put on the schedule of the present Chamber of Deputies' session despite the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) deputies, including Chairman Vaclav Klaus, voting against it January 12. CSSD suggested participation of all parliamentary parties in the commission. According to the Chamber of Deputies rules of order, such a commission is authorized to cooperate with police investigators and hear witnesses. In the meantime, the Dutch government declared that it does not possess any evidence that would confirm the bribery by Dutch companies, therefore it becomes a Czech matter to investigate the case, although the Dutch government is ready to take part any time. The Dutch company KPN has become, via the Dutch-German consortium TelSource, the owner of 27 per cent of Czech monopoly telecommunications provider SPT Telecom, and came under suspicion that it bribed Czech officials and political parties deciding on the privatization of the state company. Klaus and Roman Ceska, the former chairman of the National Property Fund, have categorically denied any such allegations. Suspicions were revived by a television news report broadcast by the Dutch TV station KRO. Petra Machova/Milan Smid IN BRIEF * An 18-year-old boy from Tabor was detained January 7 for posessing 7.81 grams of pervitin. He became the first person to be charged under with the amendment of the Penal Code known as the Anti-Drug Law, which came into force January 1. The amended Penal Code makes criminal the possession of "larger than a small amount" of drugs. * The Freedom Union (US) would be willing to participate in a government coalition together with the Social Democrats, while the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) would not be against a dialogue with the Civic Democratic Party (ODS). The reversals in the stances of both parties occurred during the meeting of the leaders of the four-party coalition (US, KDU-CSL, the Civic Democratic Alliance and the Democratic Union) January 6. * Culture Minister Pavel Dostal agreed January 8 with church representatives on setting up a commission for resolving relations between churches and the state. The representatives of different churches, including Jewish leaders, shall submit their candidates by January 13, the final appointment shall be made by the government. The Commission shall also negotiate the restitution of the former church properties. Katerina Kolarova, Tomas Kohout/Milan Smid FROM SLOVAKIA Former Slovak Minister and Successful Businessman Shot Dead Jan Ducky, former economy minister in Vladimir Meciar's government and a successful businessman, was shot and killed January 11. His body was found at the entrance of Ducky's residence in downtown Bratislava. Ducky, 54, was until recently general manager of the Slovak Gas Industry (SPP) and leader of the opposition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS). His name is connected with some questionable activity - unprofitable share buyouts, also with the alleged signing of the 400-million-crown promissory note for the Sezooz Holding company, which owns a significant part of Chemapol Group. The motive is still unknown, the police are investigating. Michaela Prokopova/Sofia Karakeva Markovic on Slovak TV Screens Again After a forced absence, popular political satirist Milan Markovic is returning to Slovak Television (STV). During his January 9 premiere in Bratislava's Studio S, Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda and actor Milan Lasica were Markovic's hosts. Former Premier Vladimir Meciar's cabinet did not find the former Evening with Milan Markovic funny and cancelled it. Markovic started performing for Czech Television and is not planning to end this cooperation. His program Slanted (Na sikme plose) will continue on Czech Television under the name On the Level (Na rovinu). Michaela Prokopova/Sofia Karakeva ECONOMY Chemapol Threatened with Bankruptcy Czechoslovak Trade Bank (Ceskoslovenska obchodni banka, CSOB) speaker Milan Tomanek confirmed that the bank filed a bankruptcy petition with the Regional Commercial Court in Prague against the Chemapol Group. The main reason for the petition was that Chemapol Group signed an 800-million-crown guarantee for its daughter company Chemapol, which a court recently placed in bankruptcy. Chemapol Group managers said they hope ongoing negotiations will lead to a compromise and not the fall of the mammoth company. The Investment and Postal Bank (Investicni a postovni banka, IPB) speaker Jan Rezek said the majority of Chemapol Group shareholders and creditors support a positive solution to the catastrophic financial situation. The first step toward improvement could be the official registration December 31 of Aliachem Group, which is to merge the former Chemapol Group's best daughter companies (Synthesia, Moravske chemicke zavody, Technoplast, FSG). Later Aliachem will be joined by Spolana, which is now close to bankrupt. Pavlina Hodkova/Jakub Jirovec Alarming Growth of Czech Unemployment Rate In December unemployment rose to an all-time high of 7.5 per cent, an increase of 2.3 per cent from December. The only people here who lived through such high employment are those seniors who experienced the Great Depression of the 30's in Czechoslovakia. Experts expect unemployment to top 8 per cent this month, because December's statistics do not include people who lost their jobs December 31. The worst situation is, traditionally, in northern Bohemia: the regions of Most (15.6 per cent), Louny (15.5 per cent) and Chomutov (14.8 per cent). The lowest unemployment rate is in East and West Prague districts. The reasons for the high rate are, according to experts, the Czech crown being overvalued, the decline of foreign investment, restrictive measures of the past two years, corporate restructuring and cost cutbacks. Pavlina Hodkova/Jakub Jirovec 1998 Inflation 10.7 per cent, Should Continue to Decrease The 1998 12-month inflation rate was 10.7 per cent, up 6.8 per cent from 1997. Independent economists predict a continuation of the decline which began in August (the only exception being September, when inflation rose by 0.1 per cent). The rapid decline of inflation should not be considered outlandish success, because it is accompanied by a decline in growth, rising unemployment and a worsening financial situation in businesses, banks and households. Experts are not united in their opinion on the restrictive monetary policy of the Czech National Bank (CNB). Some of them accuse the central bank of exaggerated restrictions, some agree with bank's steps, arguing that inflation is more influenced by foreign countries and the central bank cannot have much effect. All of them agree that the CNB should ease its currency policy during the coming six months. Pavlina Hodkova/Jakub Jirovec Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid January 15) 1 EUR = 35.775 CZK country currency CZK Australia 1 AUD 19.477 Great Britain 1 GBP 50.629 Denmark 1 DKK 4.806 Japan 100 JPY 26.944 Canada 1 CAD 20.125 IMF 1 XDR 43.301 Hungary 100 HUF 14.085 Norway 1 NOK 4.105 New Zealand 1 NZD 16.570 Poland 1 PLN 8.628 Greece 100 GRD 11.007 Slovakia 100 SKK 83.724 Slovenia 100 SIT 19.034 Sweden 1 SEK 3.922 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.488 USA 1 USD 30.721 Exchange Rates of countries particpating in the euro (converted from the euro rate) country currency CZK - Germany 1 DEM 18 291 Belgium 100 BEF 88.684 Finland 1 FIM 6.017 France 1 FRF 5.454 Ireland 1 IEP 45.425 Italy 1000 ITL 18.476 Luxemburg 100 LUF 88.684 Netherlands 1 NLG 16.234 Portugal 100 PTE 17.844 Austria 1 ATS 2.600 Spain 100 ESP 21.501 CULTURE Classical and Jazz Music in Prague's Rudolfinum Pianist and New Orleans jazz patriarch Ellis Marsalis presented a concert as the last of the New Year's Czech National Symphony Orchestra concertos in Prague's Rudolfinum. In the jazz world, the name Marsalis is well known through Ellis, the music school he runs and his four sons. His second-oldest son, Wynton, is considered one of the greatest trumpeters ever, his older brother Branford a famed saxophonist, Delfeayo plays trombone and produces many of his brothers' albums and the youngest, Jason, is a drummer who has just moved to New York. Marsalis' concert was dedicated to the memory of Duke Ellington, and Marsalis played some of his pieces. The concert was devoted not only to jazz, as Marsalis presented some classical pieces from Strauss and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exihibition. Zuzana Galova/Zuzana Janeckova Hollar Association Presents Members' Work for Birthday Exhibit Twenty-eight Czech graphic artists celebrated their birthdays with a collective exhibit in Prague's Hollar Gallery. "Since there are 150 members of the Hollar Association, it is not possible to have a separate exhibit for each member. Four years ago, we came up with the idea of the collective exhibits," said Hana Aulicka, the curator of the exhibit. The exhibit presents the work of Jiri Kolar, world-famous Czech artist, who is celebrating his 85th birthday, Josef Istler, 85, and Michal Rittstein, 50. The work of Slovak artists does not appear in the Hollar Gallery this year. "We have not lost contact with our Slovak members, but the relationships are more on a personal level. Exhibits were complicated mostly by the transportation of artwork across the border," said artist and Hollar Association Chairman Vladimir Suchanek. Katerina Kolarova/Zuzana Janeckova First 1999 Prague Dance Festival with Two Star Performances Dance lovers enjoyed their first festival, the International Week of Dance, in Prague January 4-10. The Prague Dance Center conservatory took advantage of cheaper January rents in the Laterna Magica Theater (the National Theater's new stage). Seminars, practical lessons and evening performances of young authors' choreographies were the main part of the festival's program, which had two highlights: The Bratislava Theater of Dance - in the Czech Republic a well-known ensemble - arrived in Prague with its original working of Romeo and Juliet (choreography Jan Durovcik, music Henrich Lesko). The world premiere of the Prague Chamber Ballet's performance Frescoes (choreography Libor Vaculik, music Bohuslav Martinu) then closed the week. Mirek Langer/Mirek Langer CULTURE IN BRIEF * Cervantes' novel Don Quixote served as the inspiration for the American musical The Man from La Mancha. Tomas Topfer's Czech version of The Man from La Mancha, originally for the Vinohrady Theater, had its premiere in Prague's Na Fidlovacce Theater. Topfer preformed the dual role of Governor and Innkeeper. Don Quixote was played by Viktor Preiss and Aldonza by Ivetta Blanarovicova. * Czech Television presented the first of the 13-part series The Tried and Justice. Scriptwriter Jiri Krizan, former deputy interior minister, is the author of the movie Sekal Must Die (Je treba zabit Sekala). Together with the Slovak director Martin Holly, Krizan expects great controversy and maybe suits, because some of the episodes describe cases as yet unresolved. * For the first time an opera - Dido and Aeneas - was named Staging of the Year 1998 in the poll taken by the Theater Newspaper (Divadelni noviny). The opera was designed for the Pilsen's Josef Kajetan Tyl Theater by Jan Antonin Pitinsky. He won for the fourth time. The second-place performance was Fernando Crommelynck's The Splendid Cuckold, staged by the Longstreet Theater. * Czech cinemas are now showing Oscar-winners for best foreign-language film from the Netherlands Karakter, directed by Mik van Diem. The movie takes place in Rotterdam between the wars and shows the relationship between a maniacally dominant father and his illegitimate son. Zuzana Galova/Zuzana Janeckova SPORTS Nordic Skiing World Cup: Neumannova Breaks Curse of Nove Mesto The nordic skiing World Cup moved to Nove Mesto na Morave, where it continued with six races of the 61st Golden Ski January 9-12. Katerina Neumannova, second in the overall World Cup standings, wanted to break the curse of this track, where she has had bad luck in the past. She managed to succeed in the opening 10km classic race, in which she finished second. However, the two-time Olympic medal winner could have won, she led on at the eighth kilometer by 20 seconds, but the impressive finish of Norway's Bente Martinsen stole the gold from Neumannova; Svetlana Nageykina from Russia finished third. Other Czech skiers did not finish in the first 30. The men also raced January 9, the 15km classic race was the domain of Norwegian skiers, who finished 1-2-3 with Bjoern Daehlie first, Erling Jevne second and Espen Bjervig third. The women's 4x5km and the men's 4x10km relays were scheduled for January 10. Czech women (Zuzana Kocumova, Kamila Rajdlova, Neumannova and Katerina Hanusova) finished fourth, thanks to excellent performances by the last two skiers, behind Russia, Norway and Italy. The Czech men (Lukas Bauer, Vaclav Korunka, Petr Michl and Martin Koukal) finished eighth, as Austria won the race ahead of Italy and Norway. The Nove Mesto event was closed by freestyle races, both with surprising winners. The women's 15km race was won by Kristina Smigun from Estonia, while Austrian skier of Russian origin Michail Botvinov won the men's 30km race. Neumannova skied worse then before and finished 12th, Petra Letenska's 21st place should be considered a success. Also two men earned World Cup points, Petr Michl for 16th place and Martin Koukal for 21st place. Jirka Wazik/Mirek Langer Korda's Doping Case Opens Again The final decision on Czech tennis player Petr Korda's case, where he tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolon, will rest on an arbitration court. Korda can take part in tournaments till the court decides. According to the International Tennis Federation, the investigation of the case should take some four months. It is probable Korda will try to defend his Australian Open title next week. According to ITF President Brian Tobin, the ITF will protest against the decision of the ITF Independent Appeals Commission, which took from Korda only 199 points and the 95,000 USD won in Wimbledon because of the positive test. The ITF will call for a one-year ban, as the rules stipulate. It is obvious in the rules of other sports that athletes testing positive are automatically and immediately punished with a two-year ban. Jirka Wazik/Mirek Langer European Hockey League Quarterfinals: Sparta out on Penalty Shots After an unlucky loss in the first match of the European Hockey League in Mannheim (see Carolina 314), Sparta had to win the rematch on its own ice January 12. However, the dominating 10-4 win was not enough to advance. The competition rules do not determine the winner in such a situation by the difference between scored and allowed goals, but rather by overtime. On bad ice, tired Sparta players played better and Jan Hlavac hit the bar, but the game had to be decided on penalty shots. After 19 penalty shots without a scoring, as both goalkeepers, Sparta's Milan Hnilicka and Mannheim's Sven Rampf, showed their best, Gordon Hynes broke through. Sparta played better, but Mannheim advanced to the semifinal. Jirka Wazik/Mirek Langer Hockey Extraleague: Ceske Budejovice Winless Streak Continues Ceske Budejovice has not won in six rounds, losing its last two matches against Vsetin and Slavia. Vitkovice played schizophrenically during the last two rounds, allowing Slavia to score five goals and then scoring five goals in Karlovy Vary. Jihlava won for the first time in six weeks, which disappointed Plzen. It then took one point against reigning champion Vsetin, which has not defeated Jihlava in three matches this season. In the game between two neighbors in the standings, Trinec and Zlin, the home team Trinec was better, scoring seven goals without allowing one, thanks to goalkeeper Radovan Biegl. In the next game Trinec lost to Sparta, which lost captain Roman Horak to a broken wrist for some time. Results of the 32nd round: Vsetin - Ceske Budejovice 3-2, Jihlava - Plzen 3-1, Sparta Praha - Karlovy Vary 5-2, Slavia Praha - Vitkovice 5-1, Kladno - Opava 2-3, Pardubice - Litvinov 4-1, Trinec - Zlin 7-0. Results of the 33rd round: Opava - Pardubice 1-3, Zlin - Kladno 2-1, Karlovy Vary - Vitkovice 3-5, Sparta Praha - Trinec 4-2, Ceske Budejovice - Slavia Praha 1-2, Plzen - Vsetin 3-3, Litvinov - Jihlava 6-2. Postponed matches: Slavia Praha - Jihlava 3-2 (29th round), Opava - Trinec 5-2 (31st round). Standings: 1. Vsetin 48 points, 2. Zlin 45, 3. Trinec 43, 4. Sparta Praha 39, 5. Plzen 36, 6. Ceske Budejovice 33, 7. Slavia Praha 33, 8. Pardubice 30, 9. Karlovy Vary 30, 10. Litvinov 30, 11. Vitkovice 29, 12. Opava 27, 13. Kladno 23, 14. Jihlava 16. Tomas Kohout/Mirek Langer SPORTS IN BRIEF * Czech trucks are doing well in the truck category of the Granada-Dakar Rally. Karel Loprais in Tatra and Tomas Tomecek in a truck of the same make lead the race with Russia's Moskovskikh in Kamaz. Moskovskikh was first, Loprais second and Tomecek third January 14. The standings could change in the upcoming stages in the deserts of Mauritania. * Jiri Pospisil won the national cyclocross championships in Hole Vrchy near Mlada Boleslav January 10. Petr Dlask finished second and Radomir Simunek third. Vaclav Jezek won the under-23 title. * Lucie Hanusova, former member of the Czech nordic skiing national team, died in the United States' Yellowstone National Park January 11 after an accident on a snowmobile. Jirka Wazik/Mirek Langer WEATHER Winter is not as one-dimensional a season of the year as it might seem. For example, the weather showed off its whole spectrum during the last week. People threw their ski hats and scarves away while the hardiest went out in T-shirts January 7 as the temperature broke a record with 12.8 degrees Celsius/55 degrees Fahrenheit. However, we could not rejoice in the spring atmosphere for a long time, over the weekend the wintry winds gathered strength. Icy roads and sidewalks surprised drivers and pedestrians on the morning of January 11. Then snowflakes began to fall and it seems we will continue waiting for spring among drifts of snow. Katerina Kolarova/Mirek Langer English version edited by Michael Bluhm. - This news may be published only with attribution to CAROLINA. Subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. Please send them to the address: CAROLINA@mbox.fsv.cuni.cz To subscribe to CAROLINA news, send an e-mail message to the address LISTSERV@cesnet.cz The text of the message for subscription to the English version must be: SUBSCRIBE CAR-ENG First name Last name or for the Czech version SUBSCRIBE CAR-CS First name Last name To delete your subscription from the list of subscribers, send the following message to the address LISTSERV@cesnet.cz: SIGNOFF CAR-ENG or SIGNOFF CAR-CS We ask you not to send automatic replies to our list. 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