by Jan Jarab

Daily newspapers surveyed: Cesky denik, Lidova demokracie, Lidove noviny, Mlada fronta dnes, Prace, Rude pravo, Svobodne slovo, Telegraf.

In alphabetical order:

CESKY DENIK (right-wing, strongly anti-Communist). Headline story "Extremist Forces Increas Power in Serbia" comments on the fall of Yugoslav President D.Cosic. An aggressive editorial, "A Truly Golden Boy", by the owner of ÇD, J.Kudlacek, accuses former Federal Vice-Premier and former Vice-Chairman of ODS, Mr.M.Macek, explicitly of being a cheated and a liar; Mr.Macek fell from power in January, when it was proved that his company (which he had founded with a former prominent Communist) had trespassed the law to benefit from the state-organized privatization. Recently, however, he has started a comeback, and was elected as ODS leader for Northern Moravia. CD - which is usually friendly to Václav Klaus - claims that Macek's defense in recent interviews contains more lies and that the Premier himself is making a serious political error in supporting his Mr.Macek's comeback.

LIDOVA DEMOKRACIE (Catholic). Headline "Vaclav Havel for Dialogue" informs about the President's support for dialogue between members of coalition parties and Sudeten German representatives.

LIDOVE NOVINY (liberal). Headline news: "Non-Governmental Dialogue with Sudeten Germans" reports a negative response to the suggested dialogue coming from opposition (i.e., left-wing) parties. A following editorial of LN is very critical of the Premier's decision to encourage "non-governmental" dialogue between Czech coalition parties and Sudeten Germans (i.e., represenatives of Germans deported in 1945 who seek recompensation). "In case the Sudeten Germans do not apologize for destroying Czechoslovakia (in 1938), the appropriate partner for dialogue with them should be an organization of Czechs deported from the Sudeten region" (in 1938).

MLADA FRONTA DNES (popular, without political affiliation) brings a large article about warnings of important environmentalists (Lester Brown, Jacques Cousteau) that humankind has to change its behavior if it wants to survive. In the context of these warnings MFD quotes Premier V.Klaus as saying: "Why do the apocalyptic prophecies of alarmists from the Green camp gain so much force exactly now? In many cases it is exactly this activity and ideology which is the source of new antiliberal, antidemocratic, elitist and etatistic attempts to legitimize state control and centralization of human activities, to introduce new forms of regulation of human beings..."

PRACE (trade-unionist) publishes on page 2 a photo from yesterday's demonstration against indifference to the suffering of Bosnia, where two members of the Transnational Radical Party also spoke. On page 4 PRACE brings an extensive interview with Dr.K.Samková, Director of the Foundation for the Improvement of Status of Gypsies (who is a member of the Radical Party). "Today, when the ROI (Romany Citizens Initiative) is no longer in Parliament, and the situation concerning Gypsies seems to be relatively peaceful..., various parts of the society believe that it is no longer necessary to bother with this problem and ROI...can be in fact abolished. We have received an order from the Magistrate of Prague 2 to leave the building in Helénská street which we have been using due to the recommendation of the previous (i.e., the first post-revolutionary) Parliament, Government and President, and which had become a natural center for all activities concerning the Romany people (Gypsies)." (The building in question is a

lso the seat of the Transnational Radical Party in Prague.) Dr.Samkova describes the current calm situation as a "calm before the storm". The future disturbances, she believes, will arise from the fact that Czech Gypsies have to apply and qualify for Czech citizenship, even though many live here all their lives. "It should be understood that some 50% of Romanies are unable even to fill the form for citizenship," says Dr.Samkova. "The original idea of Premier Klaus to appoint two advisors in this matter to every district is totally unrealistic. It shows that he has no understanding whatsoever of the Romany mentality, which is characterized by a total distrust of official authorities. The results will begin to show in the beginning of next year." (According to the law on citizenship, those "persons of Slovak origin" - mostly Romanies - who will not apply successfully for citizenship in this year will lose their chance of receiving it.) "Another source of discontent is the social status of Romanies in the Cze

ch Republic. Although unemployment is generally estimated at 2-3 %, among Romanies it exceeds 70% - therefore we can expect further increase in the socially motivated crime rate among the Romanies. The result will be a vicious circle with no chance for a solution."

RUDE PRAVO (left-wing, ex-Communist) in its editorial "Shopping with Immunity" draws attention to the fact that parliamentary immunity is being abused by deputies who use it for importing goods from abroad free of tax. Immunity - says RP - should concern only such activities which have something to do with the exercise of the parliamentary mandate.

SVOBODNE SLOVO (centrist, ex-Socialist) also brings on page 3 a photograph from the demonstration against continuing genocide in Bosnia, organized by Nadace Tolerance (Tolerance Foundation).