Daily newspapers surveyed (in alphabetical order): Cesky denik, Lidove noviny, Mlada fronta Dnes. Weekly: Respekt.

CESKY DENIK (right-wing) concentrates in its headline "Zeman Wants the Trade Unions" on the intensified effort of Social Democratic leader Milos Zeman to woo the trade unions to the Social Democratic platform. (So far these efforts have been unsuccessful.) The Social Democrats have achieved substantial gains since Zeman took over as party boss, reminds CD.

Under the headline "Klaus Distances Himself from Rushdie Visit", CD brings the reaction of Premier Vaclav Klaus to the visit of Salman Rushdie in Prague, which took place between the 2nd and 5th of September; during this visit, which was revealed only yesterday (after Rushdie left), the author met for two hours with President Vaclav Havel. The Prime Minister now says that he considers the visit a private matter of Mr.Havel and "hopes it won't be interpreted as an act oriented against Islamic countries" (!!, JJ). He also claims that he wasn't informed in advance about the visit. The President's spokesman, however, replied that the Government was duly informed.

LIDOVE NOVINY (liberal) bring a full-page interveiw with Salman Rushdie, who points out that all Islamic governments have distanced themselves from Iran's "death penalty" against him. "It is important to say that it isn't Rushdie on one side and the Islamic world on the other; it is Iran on one side and the Islamic world on the other," says Rushdie, who also forcefully expressed his support for Bosnia. Later in the interview, he adds: "I suppose this meeting was consulted with the Czech Government and I understand it as an expression of its solidarity". (After his departure, however, Prime Minister Klaus distanced himself from Rushdie's visit.)

Another article, "Confusion Concerning Ban on CFC's", informs that a Government proposal for an amendment on the law banning CFC's (to protect the ozone layer) has arrived in Parliament - and that this proposal "fails to notice" that the law has actually been amended in July. Nevertheless, Green deputies believe it could be a good impulse to reopen the battle - not about the Government amendment, which is far too weak, but about the strenghtening of the one which has been accepted and fails to meet the requirements of the Montreal Protocol. The final compromise version of the July amendment seems to satisfy no one, says LN.

MLADA FRONTA DNES (centrist, independent) informs that Czech municipal offices are overwhelmed by crowds of people waiting to receive a stamp in their ID cards proving they actually are Czech citizens. The stamp is a prerequisite for registring a voucher in the second round of the voucher (coupon) privatization due to start next month. (JJ: persons of Slovak origin who have applied for Czech citizenship and are still waiting for it due to bureaucratic delays will of course have no chance to participate in the privatization).

A criminal report from the industrial city of Ostrava points out how hard it is to deport ex-Yugoslav and Albanian gangsters and thugs, who dominate the city's underworld. A stamp in their passports is of no use, because they immediately throw them out, and we can't deport a person who has no passport, claims MFD.

According to MFD, "Romano Centro", a Viennese Romany organization, protested against the words of Slovak Premier Vladimir Meciar, who allegedly said on Friday about Romanies (Gypsies) that "it is necessary to lower the reproduction of socially unadaptable and mentally deficient people" by lowering social support to large families. Simon Wiesenthal said that such words "resemble Hitler's propaganda, the ideas and diction of Nazism" and challenged the Council of Europe to reconsider Slovakia's membership. German Romany groups also condemned Meciar's talk as "sickening racism".

RESPEKT (liberal) concentrates in the article "Peace with a Morbid Taste" on the role of Lord Owen in the Geneva Conference. T.Marjanovic notes in the article the look of "deep satisfaction on Lord Owen's face" and reminds that, after all, his salary as co-chairman of the "peace conference" amounts to 350,000 dollars, i.e. 2000 dollars a day, i.e. approximately one dollar per every grenade fired in Bosnia. Owen, who spoke one year ago of a "holocaust" and "aggression", today considers Milosevic "the most important personality in the region, a realistic politician". The only question remains, however, if Milosevic will be satisfied with the present from Owen, of whether he needs war for his success - so what comes next? Kosovo? Vojvodina? Macedonia?

A large article, "Austria on the Way to a Closed Society", comments on Austria's new "anti-immigration" laws. According to this law, even persons born in Austria, who don't have Austrian citizenship, can now receive information that their "visa is expired and they can ask for it again in their own country". Thus Kosovans who deserted from the Yugoslav army are being sent home and - surprisingly - they don't ask for extension of their visas from their jails. Whoever lacks 10 square meters of adequate housing can also be deported. According to RESPEKT, the "package" of anti-immigration laws is the toughest to appear in a "civilized" European state after World War II.

SURVEY OF SLOVAK PRESS by CTK News Agency

BRATISLAVA, Sept 7 (ÇTK) - Slovak newspapers today focus on

the ethnic minorities problem in connection with Slovak Premier

Vladimír Meçiar's statement concerning Slovak Romanies. Meçiar

said on Friday that it was necessary to reduce state support to

some families in order to prevent "the increased reproduction of

socially unconformable and mentally backward residents" of

Slovakia.

The independent daily +Pravda+ writes that while the Slovak

government is busy with the Hungarian minority problem, which is

"mostly artificially inflated", Slovak citizens belonging to the

second largest ethnic minority - Romany - are commiting decisive

and tangible acts. The daily points to the recent demolition of

a school in Trebi ov, east Slovakia, as an example.

The paper believes that Slovak Romanies, though poorly

organised, are confronted with real problems and the threat to

their existence which can bring about spontaneous social

explosions. Given the problem of the Romany minority, the

question of introducing bilingual locality names -

Slovak-Hungarian- at Æitný ostrov, a southwest Slovakia region

populated mostly by Hungarians, should not be given as much

attention, the daily suggests.

The trade-union paper +Práca+ notes that the situation

surrounding a proposed Hungarian-Slovak treaty is becoming ever

more acute, leading one to believe that it is being aggravated

on purpose.

No country in Europe does not have problems with its

national minorities, the daily writes. "But unlike us, each

country is striving to solve these problems in its own kitchen,"

it adds.

The daily points out that the chairmen of the Együttélés

(Co-existence) movement, Miklos Duray, and of the Hungarian

Christian Democratic Movement (MKDH), Vojtech Bugár, are engaged

mainly in politicking while no proposal for solving economic

difficulties in South Slovakia has been heard from them. As for

Meçiar, the daily writes, he is evidently aspiring for the title

of manipulator of his own people, one who will manage to divert

public attention to others in times of crisis. "To what purpose

and to whom does it serve?" the daily asks.

The independent daily +Narodná obroda+ writes in a

commentary that Meçiar is incapable of tackling duties arising

from "all major offices" he currently occupies. Meçiar is

evidently afraid to entrust many of the members of his cabinet

with serious issues. The lack of competence of some of his

ministers is increasingly becoming more apparent, and this is

becoming a heavy burden on the ruling Movement for a Democratic

Slovakia (HZDS), with its short-term ambitions.

The daily recalls the recent order by the transport

minister, Roman Hofbauer, to remove bilingual names in southern

Slovakia regions populated mostly by Hungarians. The daily

believes that Hofbauer should have first discussed the move with

Foreign Minister Jozef Moravçík.

Hofbauer seeks, however, to justify his move with a ruling

by the Slovak Constitutional Court, which is very unusual. "It

is generally accepted that the Head of Cabinet dismisses a

minister who discredits himself by so harming, even if

unwittingly, the interests of the state," the daily writes. It

adds that the Slovak opposition, which also has its share of

responsibility for Slovakia's future, should "wake up and act."

The tabloid +Nový ças+, in connection with complaints on the

bad image of Slovakia abroad as a result of the unfavourable

influence of Czech or Hungarian diplomats, compares the Slovak

diplomatic service to Cinderella because "Slovak diplomats sit

very quietly where they should speak loudly." The daily believes

that the Slovak Foreign Ministry should long ago have undertaken

steps similar to those taken in the case of the Hungarian

Minister, Tibor Füzessy, who was asked by Slovak diplomats to

explain his words about the allegedly anti-Hungarian activities

of the secret services of neighbouring states. The daily notes

that this step has been noticed by the foreign mass media which,

it adds, represented a more effective step to "making Slovakia

more visible abroad than allocating millions of crowns for state

propaganda."

+Smena+, close to the governing HZDS, directs its attention

to the course of privatisation in Slovakia. The daily stresses

that the explanation of why, contrary to the declared process of

privatisation, the state budget is going down and finances for

health care and education are lacking, is apparently far away.

The daily points out the fact that important novelties

introduced during the second privatisation wave in Slovakia are

not as appropriate for all citizens because a minimum amount of

property which a citizen wishing to buy a state-owned enterprise

must produce as a guarantee for many people is unobtainable.

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SLOVAKIA'S CHIEF RABBI ASSAULTED, KDH EXPRESSES DISMAY

BRATISLAVA: The Christian Democratic Movement

(KDH) today expressed its dismay over yesterday's assault on

Slovakia's chief rabbi, but said it was convinced the attack was

an isolated incident and that Slovakia was not fertile soil for

anti-Semitism.

Rabbi Baruch Meyers was jumped and beaten Sunday by two

youths in the area of Starý most. An Interior Ministry spokesman

said Meyers did not report the assault, but gave details to

police officers who visited him later.

In its statement, the KDH said it considered the fomenting

of hatred against any group very dangerous, and for this reason

is calling upon the Slovak government to exert itself to the

utmost, in the interest of preserving Slovakia's good name, in

investigating the attack.

Meyers, a United States citizen, moved to Slovakia in the

spring of this year to become the country's first chief rabbi in

25 years and the first rabbi at all in the independent Slovak

Republic.