News of Radio Prague
Foreign Ministry: Kuchma will be allowed to attend NATO summit
A spokesman for the Czech foreign ministry has said Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma will be allowed to attend this week's NATO summit in Prague. The spokesman, speaking to the German news agency DPA, said there was "no political problem" in granting a visa to Mr Kuchma. There had been speculation that Prague would refuse to allow him to attend the summit, along with the Belarussian president Alexander Lukashenko, who was denied a visa last week. Mr Kuchma's government was recently accused of selling military equipment to Iraq, a charge he denies. The president has also been implicated in the murder of an investigative journalist.
NATO ambassador will represent Belarus at summit
Earlier the Belarussian embassy said the country would be represented at the summit by Belarus's ambassador to NATO. The Belarussian authorities had previously threatened to boycott the summit altogether. Belarus has recalled its ambassador to Prague in protest at the decision not to grant Mr Lukashenko a visa.
Czech police step up presence in Prague
Czech police are stepping up their presence on the streets of Prague, as security arrangements for the two-day summit continue. Around 12,000 policemen will patrol the capital's streets on Thursday and Friday, in the country's largest ever security operation. Controls at border crossings have been tightened, while police marksmen will be deployed on rooftops. Rubbish bins have been removed from the city centre, amid fears of a bomb attack.
CVVM: public support for NATO membership at 60 percent
A new opinion poll released on Monday shows public support for NATO at more than 60 percent. The survey, carried out by the CVVM agency, said 61 percent of Czechs were satisfied with their country's membership in the alliance, compared to 23 percent who said they were dissatisfied. However just under 50 percent of respondents were unhappy about the summit being held in Prague, while just 37 percent said it was good for the Czech Republic.
Government officially cancels fighter jet deal
The government has officially cancelled plans to buy 24 supersonic Gripen fighter jets from a British-Swedish consortium. The announcement by Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla follows three years of negotiations for what would have been a 1.7 billion dollar deal for the Gripen's makers BAE Systems and Saab. The deal was tentatively approved by parliament in April, but the government re-evaluated the proposal after considering its mounting budget deficit and the extra costs linked to the summer's flood disaster. Mr Spidla said that instead of buying new jets, Prague would work toward co-operating on aerial defence with the Czech Republic's eastern neighbour, Slovakia.
Reuters: EU enlargement to take place on May 4, 2004
European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels are reported to have decided on May 1st, 2004 as the date for the EU's enlargement to the east. Unnamed diplomats told the Reuters news agency that the Czech Republic and the nine other leading candidates for membership would probably join the EU one year after the signing of the EU accession treaty, expected in April 2003. The diplomats said the EU believed it would take the 15 member countries 12 months to ratify the treaty.
Czech TV General Director survives dismissal vote
The General Director of the country's public television network, Czech Television, has narrowly survived a vote by the station's supervisory board to remove him from his post. Nine of the 13 board members present at the meeting voted to dismiss Jiri Balvin, one vote short of the two-thirds' majority needed to carry the motion. Mr Balvin's critics are unhappy with his management.
Weather forecast
Tuesday will be another mostly overcast day, with the chance of rain in places. Temperatures in the daytime will range from seven to 11 degrees Celsius, falling at night to lows of three degrees.
