News

The Czech Foreign Ministry says that the official approval of the operation of the Temelin nuclear plant by the South Bohemian regional authorities was in line with Czech legislation, dismissing protests coming from neighbouring Austria. According to Austrian MPs, the Czech Republic did not officially inform Austria of the step. Some Austrian officials say the move was in breach of the 2001 Czech-Austrian agreement of Melk concerning the security of the plant. The plant was officially approved last Friday, six years after construction was finished. The document became legally binding on Monday.

The plant, situated some 60 kilometres away from the Austrian border, has been widely criticised by certain Austrian politicians as well as Austrian and Czech environmentalists, who claim that it is dangerous.

Civic Democrat leader Mirek Topolanek has accepted a second bid to form a government. On Monday President Klaus announced that he would give the Civic Democrat leader another chance to form a viable government, despite the fact that his first attempt to do so had ended in failure. President Klaus made the announcement after his bid for a four-party "rainbow government" was blocked by the Social Democratic Party.

Mr. Topolanek accepted the offer with some reluctance on Tuesday after receiving the green light from his party leadership. He is to be officially re-appointed prime minister designate on Wednesday. Political analysts believe that his chances of succeeding are slim and that the President's decision is an attempt to bring the country closer to early elections. The Constitution stipulates that early elections can be called after three unsuccessful attempts at forming a government.

Responding to the new challenge, the smaller parties have all stated their preferences regarding a way out of the drawn-out political crisis. The Christian Democrats said they favor a centre-right or rainbow coalition. The Greens are against a minority Civic Democrat government as proposed by the Social Democrats and would favour a caretaker cabinet which would lead to early elections in 2007. The Communists have said they are ready to support a centre-left cabinet or a rainbow coalition of all parties including themselves.

The Czech military police contingent which has spent three years training Iraqi police officers near Basra in the south of the country, has completed its mission and handed over the training centre to the local authorities. The 100-member strong military contingent was sent to Iraq shortly after the fall of Saddam Hussein and in the course of the past three years has trained over 12,000 Iraqis for the local police force as well as a team of instructors to eventually take over their work. The Czech Parliament is now debating the possibility of extending the contingent's mission in Iraq but the outcome will depend on whether the British contingent whose base it has been using will remain in place. For the time being the Czechs have been stationed elsewhere.