Belka praises Czech PM's proposed gesture to Sudeten German anti-fascists

The Polish Prime Minister, Marek Belka, in a visit to Prague on Thursday, praised as "brave" a proposed conciliatory gesture by Czech counterpart Jiri Paroubek, recognising the efforts of ethnic German anti-fascists in Czechoslovakia ahead of World War II. Mr Paroubek' s conciliatory gesture has already found backing from Austrian leader Wolfgang Schussel, but has not found support from figures like Czech president Vaclav Klaus or Slovak Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda. An estimated 2.5 million Germans were expelled from Czechoslovakia following the Second World War.