I decided to exploit the fact of having reached Bonn by plane, and the fact that (take note of it for the future...)the pex fare is proposed by air companies even if you arrive to a town, and fly back taking off from a different airport OF THE SAME COUNTRY - it doesn't matter if it is not the same airport. So, My flying ticket was from Rome to Cologne-Bonn, and back from Munich to Rome. From Cologne-Bonn I took an overnight train to Prague, where i arrived on Tuesday June 18th, early in the morning. On Friday June 21st I then took another over-night train back to Germany. The as absolute as known lack of money has made me use the word "exploit" while speaking about the decision of jumping to Prague, a few lines upper. The trip to Prague costed some money, which has been paid by me myself. Thanks to having avoided airplanes, and to having been a guest of Ms Cechurova and of her daughter Olga, my expenses have benn relatively low, and somehow affordable - at least taking into consideration the utility of those
days in Prague, and of some days of presence supporting the excellent local activity of Olga.
I repeat that the expenses are my own business, but I think that they should be inserted in the budget like a contribution; such as several other expenses - we shall see with Danilo.
I permit to underline this aspects because they are fully and definitely political ones, and maybe I'm so presumptuous to underline a political aspect we should reflect on.
As it is known, in Prague there is not a TRP office, since we compulsionarly left the wanderful villa where Emil Scuka and our gypsies friends gave us an entire floor. For a period, then, Olga had the chance to use a desk in the office of Emil, who is a well-known attorney, until she had to leave because the Emil's office started to need more room. Olga then manages the activity there in Prague working in her own flat, where she uses a close-to-be-completely-distroyed computer and a mytical fax (before the so called Czechoslovak "velvet revolution" that fax was one of hte two unofficial and non-registered faxes in the country.
In Prague we have an "antenna", like Massimo Lensi calls this kind of organized presence. Which is effective, thanks to Olga, above all. And thanks to a story; thanks to some even rarely active members and to some good links to the press.
In general, I do believe that TRP has to progressively turn its offices' network into something different: theoretically, the offices of the TRP have to be provided by federated entities, or by members who are organized at a national level in some national organization. Something like what we had the chanche to do thanks to the very special links with Emil Scuka's ROI and IRU, which have been providing large spaces to TRP, telephone lines, furnitures, and even joint services. In those years ROI (Romani Civic Initiative in Czechoslovakia) formally decided to support some of the initiatives of TRP, and did so while providing a lot of different contribution and support. In that period Marco Pannella was even appointed as the Honorary President of ROI.
Well, it is not per chanche that I'm writing down these lines. They are a sort of frame for what is the proper brief report.
Olga and I had a meeting with the vice-Mayor and a senior deputy in the City-Hall of Prague 3. Such a local administration has been playing an important role in the "A Flag for Tibet" campaign. The two local deputies have announced to us that they are particularly proud to give already now the adhesion of their council to the campaign for 1997. On our side we have asked them to engage the MPs of their party (ODA) on the appeals, and how it would be possible to obtain from the Prague 3 City-Hall an office for the Prague seat of the TRP, at a non-market price. The answer has been interested, and we have fixed how to go on in the issue. We shall have to work on it, particularly Olga, and it will be necessary to involve even the Prague main City-Hall, and the Ministery of Foreign Affairs. Olga and we shall go on.
There has not been any chanche to meet MPs, because of the internal political situation in the Czech Republic, and the Cabinet crisis. Olga is working to prepare as early as it will be possible many contacts with the new MPs, and to plan as many meetings she will have the possibility to with Olivier, when he will visit Prague, for the World Esperantist Movement Congress, scheduled in Prague for July.
On the other hand, a good link has been established to a party which is strongly represented in the local administration, while it is not represented at all in the National Parliament. Such a link must be deepened in the very next weeks, and above all thanks to and through Emil. It is just a possible way of working, which Olga and I are engaged in deepening.
In the occasion of the visit of Olivier to Prague, then, John is going to work in order to have our Secretary invited in one of the weekly evening social events organized in Lucerna by Dagmar Havlova, the sister-in-law of President Havel. Then, other things will be planned in order to exploit the presence of Olivier, on the basis of the indications of Olivier himself.
As the all of you have had the chance to read in Conference Radical Party, the weekly Tyden has published the result of a brief and useful meeting in the paper's offices. The text will soon be inserted in Agora.
We had a meeting with the activists of the local TSG, who are currently engaged in the preparation of Mandala.We agreed with them - who were back from Bonn - that they will collect the adhesions to our appeals, in that occasion, and will spread our post-cards. We shall see the results of their job.
With Emil Olga and I had a lunch together (no way to pay the bill, when Emil is sitting with you...). The main issue of the long conversation was the possible plan of reorganizing the Romani structure in Europe and in the World. There is no need to spend much lines about it, here, while it will be the issue of a proposal wich is very closely related to the TRP, and which I'm going to conclude.
Other things are mentioned above.
We had a meeting of Radicals in the Host office. There I and Jan Jarab explained the results of the meeting in bonn, and the participants - less than a dozen - undertook some charges for the coming weeks, first of all regarding the actions in order to collect signatures in the Parliament.
John bok, who attended the meeting, will try to find a connection with President Havel in order to have also his adhesion. It will be very difficult, even if it wouldn't be the first time tthat Vaclav Havel signs one of our appeals. Very very difficult will be to catch the President, and to cross-over his staff. John is going to try. Olga and John, then, will work on MPs, at the proper time.
The possible role of John can be a significant issue, even if it has to be managed very carefully: I know John as much as I love him - i.e. a lot.
Dick Stockar has taken part to the meeting, and is going to be back in helping the BARACCA, wich means helping Olga.
I have been very close to be invited in the evening TV News of the State television. Together wit my and our contact there we have been thinking about how to find the argument to speak about. But the need for a strictly actual issue, and the political period in Czech Republic have not allowed it. I'm almost sure that Olivier will be invited for an interview in the evening News of Czech television, when he will be in Prague. It is something to work on, anyway, looking for an actual event. Or for themes like death penalty, given that from time to time somebody propose the reintroduction of the punishment in the Czech REpublic, and that it is rather remembered that it was the TRP, together with Havel, the one wich got the abolition of the DP, in 1990. Another issue can be the one regarding the International Criminal Court, and the Tribunal for former Yugoslavia.
What else? Some calls and some minor meetings; probably something more. But I do not remember, now.
Ciao
