News Wednesday, SEPTEMBER 02th, 1998

Radio Prague E News Written / Read by: Pauline Newman Date: 2.9.98

Hello and a very warm welcome to the programme. I'm Pauline Newman, first let's take a look at the main headlines of the day:

You are tuned to Radio Prague. I'm Pauline Newman, those were the headlines, now let's take a look at the news in full...

Gross / Agreement

Head of the Social Democrat deputies' Club, Stanislav Gross said on Tuesday, that his party is counting on the Civic Democratic party, the ODS, to keep its end of the post election agreement.

The deal signed between the two parties after the elections, calls on the ODS to support the social democrat government and not to undermine it.

Mr Gross said that on no account are the Social Democrats obliged to discuss individual appointments to the head of state owned companies with the ODS. Nevertheless, he did stress that the Social Democrat party is willing to discuss in his words: "practically anything with the ODS".

This comes after ODS deputy chairman Ivan Langer in a newspaper earlier in the week, called on the Social Democrats to discuss personnel re-shuffles in large state owned companies with other parties.

Lux / Klaus

Leader of the centrist Christian democrats Josef Lux, says he wants to discuss his 1999 budget proposal with ODS leader and Chairman of Parliament Vaclav Klaus.

Two deputy party chairmen told journalists on Tuesday that Mr Lux hopes to gain ODS support for a budget proposal which the Christian Democrats have been preparing.

Lux's calling upon Klaus to talk, has led to a slight outcry in the Social Democrat party and triggered fears that the ODS may not stick to its post-election agreement with the party, siding with the opposition instead.

Although Vaclav Klaus wants both parties to put forward negotiators, Josef Lux says he wants to deal directly with the leader of the ODS and discuss concrete issues. He told journalists that the ODS must overcome any qualms it has about talking to the Christian Democrats and sit round the negotiating table. Mr Lux said he is also looking at ways to start talks with the communist party, and said it would be "absurd" to leave out the ODS.

The Christian democrat leader is largely thought to be responsible for the collapse of Vaclav Klaus's government last November and the press in the Czech Republic frequently speculates that there is little love lost between the two politicians.

Cabinet / Session

The Czech government is preparing to discuss changes on Wednesday, to the law on parliamentary immunity and the secret service in its regular weekly session.

Christian Democrat MP Miloslav Vyborny has proposed to abolish the law ruling out the possibility of MP's and senators receiving a life sentence for crimes committed during their time in office.

The government is also set to discuss the future profile of the secret service, although very little information has been made public on this topic. The only concrete details which have been released so far, are that the Secret Service, the BIS is to handle the checks being made on people installed at the head of state run companies.

Klaus / Russia

Chairman of Parliament and ODS leader Vaclav Klaus, currently in America, says he refuses to dramatise the economic and political crisis taking place in Russia.

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday in Washington, Klaus said: "I think this is more a problem of the current Moscow government and the Russian political system, rather than some deep internal crisis within Russian society".

Opposition / Election Agreement

Czech opposition parties signed an agreement on Wednesday regarding the forthcoming municipal elections and the elections to the Senate.

The Christian Democrats, the Freedom Union, the Civic Democratic Alliance and the Democratic Union say this is in reaction to the "irregular" political situation, which has developed in the Czech Republic after the summer general elections. By this they mean the controversial deal of mutual support between the ODS and the Social Democrats.

The aim of Tuesday's agreement is to see as many opposition candidates as possible, holding positions in the Senate, in order to prevent the ODS and the Social Democrats changing the constitution without consulting other parliamentary parties.

Shop / Cro

Finally, Wednesday sees the new Czech radio shop being opened in the building of the radio itself on Vinohradska street. Anyone who has always wanted Czech radio T-shirts, hats, mugs or badges will now be able to purchase all these things.

Books published by Radioservis are also available as are CD's and tapes with recordings of many well-loved bedtime stories for children.

The shop is already preparing for its first big event, because on the ninth September, all the famous stars who performed in the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" will be in the shop signing copies of the book, "Jesus Christ Superstory".

And we end as usual with a brief look at the weather:

A ridge of high pressure moving over from the north, means the weather on Wednesday will be slightly warmer than it has been in recent days. Skies during the day will be partly overcast with temperatures peaking at about 24 degrees celsius, dropping overnight to as low as 5 degrees celsius.

I'm Pauline Newman and that's the end of the news.