News

Finance Minister Sobotka has called for a decision on the privatization of telecommunications operator Cesky Telecom to be made this Wednesday. In an interview for the CTK news agency, minister Sobotka said a decision should be made without further loss of time on whether the states' 51 percent stake in Cesky Telecom would be sold directly to a sole investor or through the capital market. If it were through the capital market, the privatization of Telecom could begin before the end of the year. The Cabinet is split on how best to proceed. Several ministers, including Sobotka, favour a flotation on the capital markets since it would bring immediate funds to the cash-strapped government. Several previous attempts to sell the government's stake in Telecom failed.

A lawyer for Civic Democrat party head Mirek Topolanek has asked the ministries of Justice and the Interior for official confirmation on the accuracy of media reports relating to police wiretapping of Mr Topolanek's phone calls and the monitoring of his bank accounts. The lawyer, Tomas Sokol, said he wanted to determine whether his client's right to privacy had been violated. Police revealed that Mr Topolanek's phone had been bugged after a government MP said in September that he had been offered a bribe by two men close to Mr Topolanek in order to help bring down the government in a confidence vote.

The Czech senate has approved an amendment to the energy law that aims to liberalize the country's electricity and gas markets by 2007. Under the terms of the amendment, large firms will be able to choose their gas supplier as of January 2005. The following year, the market will open to smaller firms. By the end of 2006, the entire market is to be fully liberalized. The amendment also calls for the separation of transmission and distribution networks on electricity and gas markets by 2007.

Several hundred Ukrainians gathered in Prague's Wenceslas Square on Sunday to support Ukraine's opposition presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko. As well as the demonstrators in Ukraine, the protesters in Prague wore orange scarves, hats and vests, symbolically joining the "Orange Revolution", called after the official colour of the opposition. The activists in Prague were also joined by members of the Belarusian minority and a number of Czech politicians. The activists are planning to keep on meeting outside the Ukrainian embassy in Prague. They also called on the Czech people and parliament to support them in their efforts.