SURVEY OF THE PRESS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC, 22-7-1993

by Jan Jarab

CESKY DENIK (right-wing) informs about the replacement of Jiri Kovar, 29, by Igor Nemec, 36, as Government Chief of Staff, which was the result of suspicions that Mr.Kovar had manipulated personal data of ODS members. (JJ: The Premier had long resisted the pressure from his own party (ODS) to replace Mr.Kovar, and some newspapers hinted that it was not quite correct for the party to enforce the replacement of a state official. It was, however, CD which contributed most to Mr.Kovar's downfall.)

MLADA FRONTA DNES (centrist, independent) informs about the blockade of the nuclear power plant, which is being built in Temelin, by environmentalist activists of the Duha movement. After the manager of the plant agreed to send a joint letter with the environmentalists to Government, urging it to start a public debate about the project, Duha discontinued the blockade. It is not sure, however, whether the management will keep its promise.

The Christian Democratic Party and the People's Party, two Catholic parties of the ruling coalition, denied yesterday that they would want to ban abortions. They remain determined, however, to change the current "ultraliberal" law. The number of abortions has decreased last year by 10 000 (probably due to better availability of contraceptives) but remains relatively high.

RUDE PRAVO (left-wing) and TELEGRAF (conservative) inform about a new group inside the OH (Citizens Movement), which included many leading politicians of the 1989-1992 period and is now reduced to nonparliamentary opposition. The new group calls itself "radical liberals" and intends to change the name of the party, too.

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SURVEY OF SLOVAK PRESS by CTK News Agency

BRATISLAVA, July 22 (ÇTK) - Today's independent daily

+Národní obroda+ doubts whether the Slovak National Bank (NBS)

will manage to maintain the level of devaluation under 30 per

cent by the end of the year as Marián Tkáç, NBS vice-governor,

predicted on Tuesday. The paper recalls that Czech Premier

Václav Klaus was wrong under similar circumstances in 1990 when

predicting the level of inflation would stay under ten per cent,

whereas in fact it almost reached 70 per cent.

But, to his credit, Klaus did not succumb to the lure of

inflation and, without hesitation, resorted to wage regulations

to curb it. "And there are other such measures. They hurt, but

help -- at least enough to steer us from the path followed by

the Croatians, Poles, Russians and some others," +Národná

obroda+ adds.

+Slovenský deník+, a daily close to the opposition Christian

Democratic Movement (KDH), quotes Pavol Hagyari, chairman of the

Conservative Democratic Party (KDS), as saying that his party

will turn to the Left if an agreement with the KDH is not

reached. He singles out Spain as an example of how, under

Premier Gonzales, the Socialists have been already for ten years

succeeding in the transformation of "totalitarianism into

democracy and the market," adding that examples attract.

He went on to say that he can visualise a coalition between

the KDH, KDS and the Hungarian Civic Party (MOS), which could

win 15 per cent of the vote, with the Democratic Left Party

retaining the second strongest position in parliament.

The tabloid +Nový ças+ ponders SDL statements to the effect

that the appointment of a candidate of the Movement for a

Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) to the head of the Supreme Inspection

Office (NKů), paralysed democracy in Slovakia.

It is interesting, +Nový ças+ writes, that SDL officials,

when still members and officials of the former Slovak Communist

Party, had no qualms about their political monopoly. What's

more, even though this party is in the opposition, on several

occasions, it has toyed with the idea of forming a coalition

with the HZDS. This is evidenced by several votes in parliament,

which have only served to improve the image of the HZDS.

+Smena+, a daily close to the governing HZDS, writes that

Slovak politicians' lax approach towards the question of the

Slovak-Czech border is understandable because so far it has only

aggravated the Czech side. Its quick solution is bound, on the

other hand, to create problem for Slovak statesmen. But as a

saying goes, "What drags, does not run away," +Smena+ writes.

Neither will the problem of the creation of a normal, patrolled

border and the regulations for it run away. It will slither up

like a snake and Slovak politicians will have to deal with it.

According to +Pravda+, a left-orientated daily, when the law

on parliamentary proceedings was discussed during otherwise

promising talks between the HZDS and the Slovak National Party

(SNS), "a scythe hit a stone." The clash served to reveal that

as the SNS obviously realised that its attractiveness as a

political bedfellow for the HZDS might be lost. This may be

because the top posts at the NKů and NBS have already been

filled and "the fallen angels" (the deputies who voted for

themselves as candidates) will probably be replaced with

orthodox HZDS deputies.

The question remains which of the five hidden aces Meçiar

boasted of ten days ago at Dubnica nad Váhom, western Slovakia,

will be played. At Dubnica, Meçiar said that apart from the

coalition with the SNS, he has five other alternatives open to

him.