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

ATTENTION: There were no press surveys on the 5th and 6th of July due to two national holidays in the Czech Republic - the feast day of national saints Constantine and Method, and the John Huss Day, commemorating the 15th century religious reformer and martyr.

Healine news in all major papers concerns the speeches of leading Czech statesmen concerning both anniversaries.

MLADA FRONTA DNES (centrist, independent). Headline "Billions of Crowns Escape the Customs Officers" informs about dubious practices of customs officers (which suggest that corruption may be involved).

According to MFD, 57% of all species of vertebrates and 54% of higher plants are endangered in the Czech Republic. The Krkonose Mountains National Park was classified as one of the 10 most endangered national parks in the world, says MFD.

PRACE (trade-union) brings a large editorial about the conference on environment in Rio, which ended a year ago. Concentrating especially on the theme of global warming, PRACE informs that a large conference - "Global Forum" - of NGOs will take place in Manchester in September.

RUDE PRAVO (left-wing) publishes a polemic of historian Jan Moravec with Chairman of Parliament Milan Uhde, who recently defended the proposed law which would say that "the Communist regime had been criminal and illegal". Mr.Moravec contends that such a law is absurd, as it would include also Alexander Dubcek's Reform Communist regime of 1968. Mr.Uhde has described the Reform Communists as "tragicomic figures" who were "trying to reform the unreformable"; he has also delivered severe criticism of Dubcek, which has created an angry reaction among the "68-people", i.e. former Reform Communists who were expelled from the party in the purges following the Soviet invasion and remained blacklisted throughout the 70's and 80's.

SURVEY OF SLOVAK PRESS by ÇTK News Agency

BRATISLAVA, July 7 (ÇTK) - Today's +Slovenský denník+, a

daily close to the opposition Christian Democratic Movement

(KDH), writes about the situation on the Slovak-Ukrainian

border, which is blocked by lorries. The strike committee and

the drivers themselves are concerned about the volatility of the

situation, which is marked by verbal confrontations and

occasional fistfights which "take place now and then despite the

police presence." Lorry drivers from Bulgaria and Romania are

causing the tension because they "are no longer in solidarity"

with other drivers, who have taken the strike action in protest

against fees levied on drivers of vehicles passing into Ukraine,

+Slovenský denník+ writes.

The tabloid +Nový ças+ carries an interview with Vladimír

Randa, chairman of the Slovak Entrepreneurs' Party (SPS), in

which he distances the party from from Libor Oller. This man,

who is said to have initated the SPS, is suspected of committing

a train robbery in Austria (where he is under detention - ed.)

and his name is also mentioned in connection with two murder

cases. "Scandals like this will keep cropping up, because lots

of dirty money has been and is being laundered in the Czech

Republic and Austria," Randa told +Nový ças."

The trade union daily +Práca+ writes that "after the changes

in the balance of power in the Slovak parliament, the ruling

Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) has found itself in a

less advantageous, even notably weaker position." The paper

notes rumours that the Slovak National Party (SNS), as the

HZDS's possible future coalition partner, is claiming as many as

five ministerial portfolios as well as diplomatic posts abroad.

"Jozef Proke is said to have set his sights on the post of

Slovak defence minister, succeeding Imrich Andrejçák, who would

supposedly become the Slovak army's supreme commander," +Práca+

writes, adding that the SNS, in contrast, is not interested in

controlling the sectors of health, education, or economics.

The SNS would rather gain the top post in the foreign

ministry, and it considers backing Augustín Húska as the next

head of the Supreme Inspection Office (NKů) instead of the

already proposed Vladimír Bajan (both HZDS). "The post of the

privatisation minister is also likely to be hotly contested.

Meçiar would like to give it to Ivan Lexa (head of the Slovak

Government Office - ed.), so that Lexa's office could go to

Jaroslav Matęjka, who is not a likely candidate for head of the

NKů," +Práca+ adds.

The independent +Národná obroda+ notes that the new 95,000

USD grant agreement signed by Slovak Economics Minister Jaroslav

Kubeçka and Paul Hacker, U.S. chargé d'affaires in Slovakia,

follows a 150,000 UDS grant obtained previously and used for

upgrading the Vojany coal-burning power plant. The new grant

will now enable the Nováky coal-burning power plant to be looked

at too. +Národná obroda+ says that on the basis of existing

projects, the World Bank has already allocated 15O million UDS

for the Vojany plant.