Cunek explains his statements to Government Council for Roma Affairs

Deputy Prime Minister and Christian Democrat Chairman Jiri Cunek met with representatives of the Government Council for Roma Affairs on Thursday to explain his recent comments regarding the Roma community and present his suggestions concerning a planned government Roma policy. The council has not issued any recommendation for the government as to how to proceed in Mr Cunek's case. The meeting was called last week by the cabinet minister responsible for minorities and human rights, Dzamila Stehlikova, after Romany organisations staged a protest outside the cabinet headquarters calling for Mr Cunek to leave the government.

In a recent interview for the tabloid Blesk, Mr Cunek said that in order to be entitled to state subsidies like Romanies, other people would need to get a suntan, behave in a disorderly way and light fires on town squares before politicians would regard them as badly off.