SURVEY OF THE PRESS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC, 1-8-1993

by Jan Jarab

APOLOGY: Wrong date on survey sent yesterday. (30-6-93 instead of

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

CESKY DENIK (right-wing) brings some surprising statements by Premier Vaclav Klaus concerning the role of the Catholic Church in society. (JJ: The Premier's party, ODS, is the senior partner of the ruling right-of-center coalition, which also includes the Christian Democrats and the People's Party, both of which have close ties to the Catholic Church. The first conflict in this coalition came recently in the controversy about returning Church property which had been confiscated by the Communist regime; the Premier and his party - in accord with the left-wing - backed a version of limited return of property, i.e. not including land, forests etc.) Mr.Klaus now says for CD: "The Catholic Church is beginning to play a role which is totally inadequate to its importance in this country. The direct TV transmissions from the celebrations (of the national saints) in Velehrad were the last drop...This is the end of an era in which everyone considered the Catholic Church as one of the institutions most hurt by the pr

evious regime and it was everyone's task to support it as much as possible. Now we have received a signal that is no longer necessary and that we should give our support to someone else." Commenting on his absence at the Velehrad celebrations of 5 July, 1993, plus his presence at the celebration of John Huss (Jan Hus, 15th century reformer who was burnt at stake as a heretic) in the Bethlehem Chapel on the next day, Mr.Klaus says: "Personally, I am more closely attached to the tradition of John Huss than to the one of Velehrad, which I find somewhat artificially implanted."

The statement is the Premier's first verbal attack on the Catholic Church and is likely to create negative reactions on the Catholic wing of the coalition.

LIDOVA DEMOKRACIE (Catholic). Headline: The Parliament has agreed on a candidate for the post of Chairman of NKU (National Control Institution). The selected candidate, L.Volenik, who has to be appointed by the President, is a member of the ruling ODS and former deputy of the Federal Parliament; however, he enjoys respect of both coalition and opposition deputies. Interestingly, it was one of the coalition parties - ODA - which voted against the candidate.

LIDOVE NOVINY (liberal) comment on the fact that President Vaclav Havel - contrary to Premier Klaus - was present at the Catholic celebration in Velehrad and not at the celebration of Czech national hero John Huss. The President's spokesman has said that the President "has nothing against John Huss".

In another article about the President, "The New Vaclav Havel", Slovak journalist Stefan Hrib comments on Havel's response to his (Hrib's) question "Will you oppose the production and export of tanks in the Czech Republic as much as you did in the old federation, where it concerned mainly Slovakia?" The question occurred during the President's recent visit to Slovakia. Havel replied - after a minute of silence - that he had been only against the production of "oldfashioned weapons" and "exports to dangerous areas". Hrib notes that a long list could be made of Havel's quotations unequivocally giving precedence to the "moral superiority of not selling tanks, whether oldfashioned or modern" over "the economic advantages of selling them". The Company "Vaclav Havel 1993" is not the same as "Vaclav Havel 1989", concludes Hrib. The new one is, perhaps, more compatible with others in the world. The company called "Havel 1989", used to be unique; there used to be something called "life in truth", concludes Hrib.

MLADA FRONTA DNES (centrist) concentrates again on the controversy about the alleged health problems of Czech veterans from the Gulf War. The Defense Ministry again denies that such problems actually exist and attribute these "rumors" to "people trying to get some compensation".

TELEGRAF (conservative) informs about the fact that the Parliament has started the debate concerning the new law which should protect the ozone layer - with a moderate Government proposal and a more radical opposition one. Environmentalist demonstrates in front of the Parliament supported the opposition version.

RESPEKT (liberal) brings attention once again to the renewed hunger strike of M.Marecek, who has resumed his hunger strike and vowed to continue it until death if those responsible for a repressive law (passed a year before the revolution) are not punished. While Mr.Marecek's last hunger strike in 1992 received a lot of attention of the press, this one is continuing almost unnoticed.

RESPEKT also quotes Premier Klaus as saying in reaction to the recent attack on Baghdad: "If I should think in a similar way for instance in Czecho-Slovak relations, we wouldn't have a very calm situation here, would we?"

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SURVEY OF SLOVAK PRESS by ÇTK News Agency

BRATISLAVA, July 8 (ÇTK) - Today's +Smena+, a daily close to

the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), writes that the

approval yesterday of the bill on names and surnames fulfilled

one of the Council of Europe's (CE) requirements for Slovakia to

be accepted as a cultured and democratic state.

Before it became law, the proposal, reflecting suggestions

made by representatives of ethnic minorities, was seen by many

"highly Slovak-oriented deputies" as an expression of endless

tolerance and understanding towards citizens of minority groups,

+Smena+ writes, noting that a proposal made by Deputy Pavol

Bogdan of the Slovak Democratic Left (SDL) that members of

ethnic minorities should be allowed to have their names written

in the registry using characters other than Latin.

"Despite the best efforts to sympathise with this view, it

seems that some of the political representatives who are

presenting the minorities' problems know no limits, " +Smena+

writes, noting that even Chinese characters might appear in

registry records if a greater number of people immigrated to

Slovakia from Hong Kong, for instance.

+Slovenský denník+, a daily close to the opposition

Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) writes that unofficial

reports coming from foreign groups friendly to the KDH say that

(KDH Chairman) Ján Çarnogurský is likely to be proposed by a

group of Christian Democratic, Conservative and People's parties

deputies of the Parliamentary Session of the Conference on

Security and Cooperation in Europe (PS CSCE) as the PS CSCE

deputy chairman.

The independent +Národná obroda+ says that shortly before

the expected announcement of the results of coalition talks

between the HZDS and the Slovak National Party (SNS), there are

reports that Meçiar's cabinet will be significantly altered.

Defence Minister Imrich Andrejçák is reportedly to be

replaced by the vice-chairman of the National Council of the

Slovak Republic (parliament) Jozef Proke . Peter Fińda should

replace Viliam Sobońa as new Health Minister, and another SNS

member, Marián Andel, should become the next Education Minister,

+Národná obroda+ writes.

It is expected that coalition talks will settle the question

of who is to be the next governor of the Slovak National Bank.

The post is to go to Vladimír Masár, state secretary at the

finance ministry, while Marián Tkáç is to become the National

Bank's vice-governor. Vladimír Bajan, put forward by the HZDS,

should become head of the Supreme Inspection Office, and Peter

Sokol (SNS) its deputy-head, writes the paper.

Ivan Lexa, the present Director of the Government Office,

(whose nominiation for the post of chief of the Slovak

Intelligence was recently turned down by Slovak President Michal

Kováç), is to become the next Minister for the Administration

and Privatisation of the National Property, while Arpád Matęjka

(HZDS), the unsuccessful candidate for the post of NKů chief, is

seen as a likely replacement for Lexa, according to +Národná

obroda+.

+Slovenský denník+ remarks on this subject that there may be

a "speedy arrangement" for the calling of the 21st session of

the Slovak parliament, at which the intended changes would be

sealed. At the same time, Deputy-Chairman of the Parliament

Peter Weiss (SDL) might be removed from his post on the strength

of the majority principle.

Finally on the subject of cabinet changes, the daily

+Republika+ of the Slovak Press Agency (TA SR) writes that the

current Chairman of the Slovak Science Academy Branislav

Richardus confessed that representatives of "very official

circles" had talked with him about his nomination for the post

of Education Minister.