News of Radio Prague
Czechs back EU summit resolutions
The Czech Republic has given its full backing to the declaration of support made at EU summit on Friday for the United States in its battle against terrorism. The 15 member states issued a statement on Friday declaring the European Union's solidarity for the US government following the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on September 11th. The Union also stated that it would consider any American strikes against terrorists to be legitimate and that it would provide any help it could to combat international terrorism. The Czech Republic's ambassador to the EU, Libor Secka, stated on Saturday that the Czech Republic unreservedly supports the EU's stance on the issue. As for any practical measures that the EU decides to take against terrorism, such as a proposed European-wide arrest warrant, Mr Secka told journalists that the Czech Republic will include these measures in its preparations for EU accession as soon as possible.
Armed forces change air defence locations
The Czech armed forces have changed the locations of its air defence batteries to protect against the threat of terrorist attacks. Czech Defence Minister Jaroslav Tvrdik announced on Friday that all high risk locations in the Czech Republic are now protected against terrorist attacks. All of the country's air defence batteries are to remain on full alert until further notice. Mr Tvrdik also confirmed that all airports and dams in the country are being patrolled by military units. The air space over the country's two nuclear power plants, Temelin and Dukovany are now no-fly zones, and are being patrolled by the air force.
Two thirds of Czechs think air strikes will lead to war
According to an opinion poll compiled by the agency STEM, more than two thirds of Czechs fear that strikes by the USA against terrorists will result in a world war. 69 percent of those asked said they were afraid that a war would be inevitable if the US armed forces go into action. 45 percent of respondents said that they supported military action against terrorists, down from 81 percent just after the attacks on New York and Washington.
Number of Czechs unaccounted for drops to 51
The number of Czech nationals who are reported missing following the terrorist attacks in the USA has dropped from 55 to 51. The Czech Foreign Ministry has now divided this number into three groups. The first group, which consists of 11 people, contains those who are most likely to have fallen victim to the attacks. The location of the others in the remaining groups on September 11th is either unknown, or it is believed that they were nowhere near New York or Washington during the attacks.
Schussel: Czechs not upholding Melk Agreement
Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schussel has complained to EU enlargement commissioner Gunter Verheugen over delays caused by the Czech government in applying the Melk Agreement on the controversial Temelin nuclear plant. The Melk Agreement was signed by the Austrian and Czech prime ministers last December and was aimed at addressing Austrian safety concerns over Temelin, which lies fifity kilometres from the Austrian border. According to Chancellor Schussel, the Czech government has failed to provide answers to questions in the agreement, which were due in June this year. The Austrian Chancellor has also asked Mr Verheugen whether an international conference will be held on Temelin, in accordance with a European Parliament resolution two weeks ago. The European Commission has responded that it is considering the issue.
Weather
And finally, a quick look at the weather forecast. Sunday in the Czech Republic should see cloudy to overcast skies, with rain showers in places. Daytime highs could reach 18 degrees Celsius. Night-time lows on Saturday could drop to 4 degrees Celsius.
