SURVEY OF THE PRESS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC, 9-7-1993

by Jan Jarab

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

Weekly: Mlady svet, Reflex.

CESKY DENIK (right-wing). Predictably, both Christian parties in the ruling coalition, together with the Archbishop of Prague, reacted critically to yesterday's "harsh and confrontational statements about the Catholic Church" by Premier Klaus. J.Lux, the chairman of the People's Party, sees no other explanation than that the Premier was "momentarily indisposed". Later the same day, however, Premier Klaus refused the criticism and added: "It would be great if I had the same amount of space in the media for the promotion of my own views and ideology as the Catholic Church receives today."

In another article, CD informs that U.S.President Bill Clinton has offered 100 million dollars to a fund to "secure the safety of nuclear power plants in Eastern Europe and decontaminate them".

LIDOVA DEMOKRACIE (Catholic) brings the statement of Czech and Moravian bishops who say: "We do not find it adequate that a democratic statesman should try to decide what the TV should show and what not. We refuse to be mentored by the Premier for behaving like free people."

In an extensive review of Zbigniew Brzezinski's book "Out of Control", LD quotes the author as saying that it is a dangerous illusion to believe that serious political processes should be controlled only through diplomacy or weapons systems. Much more appropriate, says Brzezinski, would be a world government or world confederation. The U.N. might have aspirations in this direction, it has the necessary authority, but it lack real power (contrary to the U.S.A., which have the power but not the authority.) According to Brzezinski, the U.S.A. itself can be neither the policeman, nor the banker nor the chief moralist of the world; to be a chief moralist, it would have to be an absolute example, which is simply isn't.

LIDOVE NOVINY (liberal) bring two large editorials - by Pavel Tigrid (formerly the leading Czech journalist in exile) and by Josef Vavrousek (leading Czech environmentalist). Both are quite critical of current Government tendencies to downplay serious problems. Mr.Tigrid's editorial defends the institution of ombudsman, which the ruling coalition has been refusing to support. "It will depend on the citizens if they are able to put enough pressure on Government and Parliament to change their views - in the interest of the citizen as well as the interest of those political forces which can see further than the tip of their party's nose," says Mr.Tigrid. Mr.Vavrousek is shocked by Premier Klaus' tendency to underestimate environmental problems, especially his totally unfounded statement that "serious analyses do not confirm the hypothesis" of global warming, which is an established fact. Mr.Vavrousek also objects to the Premier's black-and-white vision, which marks environmentalists as enemies, as those who "sp

read disorder"; this is contrary to a pluralistic concept of society, says Vavrousek.

MLADA FRONTA DNES (centrist, independent) informs on the first page that Czech architect Josef Svoboda, who recently received the Frech Legion d'Honneur, was found "positive" in the process of vetting (lustrace) for affiliation with StB (the former Communist Secret Police). Mr.Svoboda, who was allegedly registered as an agent of StB, has already filed suit against the Interior Ministry, which is in charge of the vetting process.

Another headline concerns the fact that the "ozone-protecting" law banning three most dangerous CFCs from Jan.1,1994, and all others from Jan.1,1996, was accepted by Parliament yesterday. The final version of the law is close to the opposition proposal, which had been put forward by a Green Party deputy. The Minister of Economy and Trade, V.Dlouhy, has expressed his worries that the accepted version of the law is too tough and economically damaging.

PRACE (trade-union) brings an interview with former Ambassador to Italy, Jiri Holub under the title "Three Years in Italy".

RUDE PRAVO (left-wing) brings a large article by journalist and former dissident Petr Uhl with the title "Three Cheers for Vaclav Klaus, Three Errors of Vaclav Havel." Uhl, who is known for his left-wing convictions, surprisingly praises Klaus and criticizes his old friend and fellow Chartist Havel. First for their stand on Bosnia, in which Klaus had repeatedly stated that it is "hard to say who is responsible", while Havel was in favor of international action against the Serbs. Second, Klaus gets good marks from Uhl for resisting the return of church property (while Havel supports it). Finally, Klaus deserves praise (in Uhl's view) for voicing his scepticism on the proposed law which would declare the past Communist regime as "evil and criminal". "On the contrary, Havel's support of the law was almost paradoxical - it was visible that he was speaking to a larger extent against his own inner convictions. The author of absurd plays will therefore sign a law which will give a valid interpretation of history fo

r the whole society...Klaus, unlike Havel, has understood that this law has the same negative potential as the one on "lustrace" (vetting for Secret Police affiliations) and it is able to create even more difficulties abroad," says Uhl.

MLADY SVET (illustrated weekly, independent) brings an interview with financier-philanthropist George Soros. It also mentions that Soros has recently invested 50 million dollars for help to Bosnia and that he has challenged the U.S. President to help Bosnia and "transform words into action" in his letter written at the end of April, 1993.

REFLEX (illustrated weekly, independent) publishes an interview with the recently dismissed Vice-Minister of Environment, Vaclav Vucka, who joins the chorus of critical voices against the current Minister of Environment, Frantisek Benda. Mr.Benda is compared unfavorably with his precedecessors, Moldan and Dejmal, who were both among leading environmentalists. "The former ministers were able to collaborate with environmental initiatives - people, who are radical, but also competent and fully engaged. Mr.Benda refuses to talk to them, because he is afraid to do so; he knows, he has simply nothing to say."

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SURVEY OF SLOVAK PRESS - by CTK News Agency

BRATISLAVA, June 9 (ÇTK) - The trade union daily +Práca+

writes today that when the Slovak Finance Ministry said that 83

per cent of the budget was slated for helping social causes, it

signalled that it was meeting recommendations made previously by

the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In accepting the IMF

terms, the government pledged to restrict budget spending by

about 4-5 billion Slovak crowns (136-170 million USD). But the

paper says that the assertion was only a prop for restrictions

prepared especially in the social sector.

+Práca+ says that while the government and ministries are

busy these days, the level of public awareness on the matter is

near zero. The question remains what tactics the unionists

should choose when all that is going to be left for them at the

tripartite talks is to agree to something decided for them

beforehand by someone else. The paper quotes the words from the

chairman of one of the unions that they are "only allowed to

choose between a bullet or the gallows."

+Slovenský deník+, a daily close to the opposition Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), looks critically at the parliamentary debate over the budget balance for the second half of 1992 and

the final budget balance for 1992. The paper says that although

the matter was to be the topic of the meeting, only Slovak

Finance Minister Július Tóth was present to represent the

government. It is alarming that documents submitted by the

government do not explain what led to the budget deficit of 7,9

billion Slovak crowns (237 million USD) in the second half of

1992, and why and where the spending was excessively high.

+Slovenský deník+ then questions what it sees as a government

attempt to partly redress the deficit by borrowing from state

reserves, which, for the most part, owe their existence to loans

extended to Slovakia for specific projects by the European

Community (EC), the World Bank and G-24 countries. "This might

cause a dent in the trust Slovakia is credited with as a country

whose leadership is as good as its word," the paper concludes.

The left-leaning +Pravda+ carries an interview with Daniel

Kroupa, deputy chairman of the Czech Civic Democratic Alliance

(ODA), who explains his recent statement that "nationalist

forces in Slovak politics and publishing" were shored up by some

Sudeten German quarters. He is quoted as explaining that what he

said at an ODA press conference was something that he had been

told earlier in the former Czechoslovak Federal Assembly

(parliament). "I was told this by Slovak federal deputies at the

time. This was corroborated by representatives of certain

Sudeten German organisations supporting humanitarian causes in

Slovakia. They were outraged that some other Sudeten German

organisations were investing in less virtuous causes," Kroupa

concludes in today's +Pravda+.

The tabloid +Nový ças+ writes that despite Slovakia's

admission into the UN and the Council of Europe (CE), there is

no reason for satisfaction when surveying the development in the

first six months of the existence of an independent Slovakia.

The paper compares legislations on ethnic minority-preferred

forms of names and surnames in Slovakia and in neighbouring

Hungary to voice some disappointment. "The degree to which

members of the Slovak minority in Hungary are allowed to write

their names the way they prefer will not be of concern only

to us but hopefully to the CE as well," +Nový ças+ writes.

A drop in the volume of construction and production of

construction materials, an overall economic crisis as well as a

wider social crisis, reflected in an increase in crime of 38 per

cent over the first six months of this year, are listed as other

reasons for dissappointment. "It is more than obvious that

people will not find that negative factors bottom out and

positive factors grow faster," the paper concludes.