SURVEY OF THE PRESS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC, 25-6-1993

by Jan Jarab

Daily newspapers surveyed (in alphabetical order): Cesky denik, Lidova demokracie, Lidove noviny, Mlada fronta Dnes, Prace, Rude pravo, Svobodne slovo, Telegraf.

CESKY DENIK (right-wing) brings an extensive overview of the general situation in the Czech press under the title "The Czech Press Faces Extinction?" Most of the leading Czech daily a weekly papers are either totally or partially in foreign hands (examples are given), with notable exceptions like the Communist Rude pravo and the Catholic Lidova demokracie (which, ironically, is in the hands of Fidelis Schlée, a former Communist ideologist). Even more spectacular, writes CD, is the situation in local and regional papers, where almost 100% have passed into the hands of ONE MONOPOLY - Passauer Neue Presse from Germany! It is incredible, says CD, that our Ministry for Economic Competition (i.e., the anti-monopoly institution) is "studying" the situation in the local and regional press for more than 6 months, and it seems unlikely that they will ever act. "It is hard to believe that only incompetence would be the cause of their inaction," writes CD. "Could there be a more serious, evident and dangerous example of

a monopoly than this unprecedented situation in our regional press?"

On citizenship: CD informs that some 22 000 people of "Slovak citizenship" (i.e., people who were born in Slovakia before 1954 or in Czech Republic from Slovak parents after 1954!), who have applied for Czech citizenship, have already received it. However, there were 46 000 people who had applied for it before the split of the federation on Jan.1,1993, which means that some 24 000 are still waiting for it; plus an undisclosed - and possibly even higher - amount of those who applied after Jan.1,1993 (JJ: they are entitled to do so until the end of 1993, if they fulfill the reyuirements, which include permanent residence in the Czech part of the former federation for 5 years. Those who received a sentence in court are not eligible for change of citizenship even if they have lived in the CR for decades.) CD admits, however, that it is possible that many people are not aware of the fact that they are "Slovak citizens" (for instance because they were born in the Czech lands of Slovak, Gypsy or even Czech parents

, who were officially registered as "Slovak" due to their birthplace. Not everyone is imaginative enough to realize that his citizenship could be determined by the birthplace of one of his parents.)

LIDOVA DEMOKRACIE (Catholic). Headline: Dissatisfied From Copenhagen. Polish Prime Minister H.Suchocka and Czech Prime Minister V.Klaus, who met in Warsaw, were not satisfied by the results of the Copenhagen summit. According to both leaders, Western Europe did not open its market to Czech and Polish products to a satisfactory degree. The Polish Prime Minister added that she can't agree with Poland and the CR being put in the same category with Romania and Bulgarie.

"Hope for the Czechs from Central Asia" - the mayor of Decin, a small town in industrial North Bohemia, has offered home to 40 of the 400 Czechs wishing to emigrate from Kazakhstan, where their ancestors came in the mid-19th century.

LIDOVE NOVINY (liberal). Headline: Bad Chances for Slovakia in the Council of Europe. Reacting to Hungary's threats to veto Slovakia's entry to the Council of Europe, President Havel met the Hungarian Ambassador to the CR in order to express his disagreement with this "inadequate and somewhat confrontational" attitude. "I do not think the status of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia couldn't be improved," said the President, "but I do not believe it should be a reason to veto the Slovak entry." If Slovak entry is blocked, it could delay also the Czech entry to the Council. LN comment, however, that Slovakia could have easily averted the conflict if it had accepted the standard European rules, i.e. the right to use "non-Slovak" Christian names or the bilingual names of towns in southern Slovakia.

RUDE PRAVO (left-wing, ex-Communist) brings an editorial about the case of M.Duda, the Director of an arms-producing company in Uhersky Brod, who is accused of illegal arms export. RP is firmly on the Director's side. "At a time, when President Havel and Foreign Minister Dienstbier wanted us to export love instead of arms, whereby we resigned the world markets to our competitors, there was a competent manager who was able to sell Czech goods abroad...and is now investigated as a criminal. This is simply scandalous..," writes Rude pravo. (The former Communists, esp. in Slovakia, have been the harshest critics of Havel's postrevolutionary policy of reducing arms exports.) Director Duda is described as a "victim of (Havel's) naive and erroneous policy". RP challenges the President to grant clemency to the Director.

TELEGRAF (conservative) brings two comments on the problem of the Prague TV Tower, which was built in the last years of the Communist era and started functioning after the revolution despite protests from local citizen's initiatives. These have not stopped their opposition to the tower, and continue to claim that the Hygienic Service, which is responsible for the approval of the TV tower's functioning, has published deliberately distorted data, and the actual exposition doses exceed the tolerated limit by almost 100% (JJ: the Radical Party office is also close to the tower).

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SURVEY OF SLOVAK PRESS by CTK news agency

BRATISLAVA, June 25 (ÇTK) - Slovak newspapers today focus on

continuing talks between the ruling Movement for a Democratic

Slovakia (HZDS) and the Slovak National Party (SNS) on forming a

two-party government coalition.

The daily +Narodná obroda+, close to the HZDS, writes that

although many half-truths are being spread in connection with

the talks all discussions about SNS' striving to obtain the post

of privatisation minister or about the HZDS's attemps to join

the European Union of Liberal Parties or the Socialist

International seem to be just suppositions thus far. "I am sure

that none of these 'dishonest intentions' will come true. The

HZDS and the government have never betrayed their voters," the

author writes.

The unionist +Práce+, referring to the same topic, writes

that no matter whether or not the SNS enters the government

coalition, health care in Slovakia will remain the same. The

daily recalls the SNS's negative stand on the activities of the

current Slovak Health Minister and the situation in health care

and asserts that the SNS could, however, change its position and

adopt a line in accordance with obligations towards the HZDS,

its future partner (the HZDS has repeatedly declared its support

for the minister of health-ed). "Incompetent management of the

ministry could threaten the population's health. Then, maybe it

is nothing but politics which counts," the daily concludes.

The tabloid +Nový ças+, directing its attention towards the

same theme, comments on a statement made by HZDS Deputy Chairman

Roman Zelenay at the latest news conference that the SNS

programmes and stands are 98 per cent similar to that of the

HZDS.

"We should bear in mind the fact that only recently the SNS

declared that its positions were similar to those of the Slovak

opposition parties', yet it is now declaring very different

stands", the daily writes. "The question is what goals are the

SNS seeking through such a behaviour", the daily writes, adding

that if the SNS did not support the dominant movement's solution

to former deputies' seats in the now-defunct Czechoslovak

federal parliament, it would become useless to the HZDS. As to

the question of whether or not the SNS will support a

no-confidence vote on Slovak Health Minister Viliam Sobońa,

which they had promised to do at the latest meeting of

opposition parties, they could prove an unreliable partner for

the opposition, the daily alleges.

The daily +Smena+ carries an interview with Head of Slovak

Police Investigating Department Jaroslav Ivor who contemplates

the reasons for the ongoing growth of serious criminal offences

in the Slovak Republic. Ivor says that the 24-hour time-limit

before the defendant is taken into custody plays to the cards of

offenders. It is an interesting fact that investigating a murder

takes police 39 per cent of their time while prosecuting it

takes 52 per cent of the courts' time, says Ivor. He says that

police investigating a 70,000 000 crown fraud often feel

helpless as they have the same time-limit while investigating a

1,000 crown theft.

The Hungarian minority newspaper +ůj Szó+ carries an

interview with László Ribánszký, Head of the Hungarian section

of the radio station Free Europe who says that Radio Free Europe

(RFE) will continue Hungarian broadcasting for the time being.

He says that institutions managing the station, have considered

often before the closing-down of the Hungarian section for

economic reasons. "Many people believe, however, that in some

countries, in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland or Hungary,

for example, democracy has not yet reached a level at which

RFE's broadcasting would lose its justification," Ribánszký

stresses.

vv/dr/db