• Threat of terrorist attack in the Olomouc region grows more serious
    03/23/2003

    The governor of the Moravian region of Olomouc, Jan Brezina, has warned local people against a serious threat of terrorist attacks that could take place on Monday morning. He said the threat came from an anonymous blackmailer who recently planted a bomb under a railway bridge in Olomouc and demanded 10 million Czech crowns from the government, otherwise, he threatened to plant explosive devices in different places across the region to go off on Monday, March 24th. Although the police left the money in several places indicated by the blackmailer on Thursday, he failed to collect it. Mr. Brezina said the danger was serious and urged local people to avoid busy public places, such as railway stations and supermarkets.
    Author: Vladimír Tax

  • EP satisfied with new Czech president's stance on Sudeten Germans
    03/23/2003

    European commissioner for enlargement, Guenter Verheugen, has expressed satisfaction with the position of the new Czech president Vaclav Klaus on the Sudeten German issue. He said Klaus's recent short statement was enough to bring to an end a lengthy dispute over the post-war expulsion of ethnic Germans from Czechoslovakia under the so-called Benes decrees. On Friday, the 64th anniversary of nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, Mr. Klaus called for reconciliation and said both nazi terror and post-war expulsion of Sudeten Germans were unacceptable from today's point of view. Mr. Verheugen said without president Klaus's symbolic gesture to condemn the expulsions, there had been a danger that the European Parliament would adopt a partly negative resolution concerning the Czech Republic's EU accession.
    Author: Vladimír Tax

  • Czech soldiers in Persian Gulf are all right
    03/23/2003

    All 458 troops in a joint Czech and Slovak anti-chemical unit stationed in Kuwait are all right, their commander Dusan Lupuljev told Czech press on Sunday. The unit came under Iraqi fire in the past days, with several rocket attacks on their military base neutralised by the Patriot anti-missile system. The Czech-Slovak unit has a mandate to provide humanitarian aid in Kuwait and neighbouring countries if Iraq uses weapons of mass destruction. However, it will not be engaged in the invasion of Iraq.
    Author: Vladimír Tax

  • Czech Republic believes UN should play central role in Iraq crisis
    03/22/2003

    The Czech Republic has expressed support for a fresh EU agreement concerning the Iraq crisis. Late on Thursday, 15 EU leaders agreed on the need to urgently address the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people, offered to support the creation of representative government and urged the U.N. be given a "central role during and after the current crisis." Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla said the Czech Republic fully supported the idea of a UN-coordinated reconstruction of post-war Iraq.

    At the same time, Mr Spidla said the Czech Republic would not react to a US call for governments worldwide to close down Iraqi embassies.

    The Czech Republic deployed an anti-chemical unit in Kuwait but conditioned their engagement in the war without a UN mandate. Otherwise, the troops will only provide humanitarian aid if Iraq uses weapons of mass destruction.
    Author: Vladimír Tax

  • Communist Party advises voters to reject Czech EU membership
    03/22/2003

    The opposition Communist Party has recommended its supporters to vote against the Czech Republic's EU entry in an upcoming referendum. Party leader Miroslav Grebenicek said on Saturday that the Central Committee of the Communist Party are not entirely against EU membership in the long run but are deeply dissatisfied with the accession conditions negotiated by the Czech government. They also believe the Czech Republic is not ready for the step as yet. The Communists enjoy a stable support of around 20 percent of the vote and came as the third strongest party in general elections last year. Czechs will vote on their country's EU accession in a referendum in mid-June. In a recent survey, about 80 percent of those asked were in favour of the Czech EU membership.
    Author: Vladimír Tax

  • Czech security situation stabilised
    03/22/2003

    The security situation in the Czech Republic has remained unchanged since the beginning of the war in Iraq, according to defence minister Jaroslav Tvrdik. He said there was no reason to adopt any other special measures and that crisis committees will meet less often than in the first days of the war. Several hundred soldiers have been assigned to assist the police in protecting strategic buildings and installations across the country as well as foreign embassies in Prague.
    Author: Vladimír Tax

  • Gross: Czechs should not fear attack
    03/21/2003

    Interior Minister Stanislav Gross said on Friday there was no immediate threat of a terrorist attack on the Czech Republic. Speaking after a Central Crisis Committee meeting, attended by the heads of Czech intelligence and police representatives, Mr Gross said security measures around the country have been increased solely as a precaution. Some 620 soldiers are to assist the five thousand police and two thousand fire fighters who are currently guarding areas that are possible terrorist targets.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • EU fund releases millions of crowns for Czech sewage system
    03/21/2003

    Prague City Hall is to be allocated over 150 million Czech crowns, a little over five million US dollars, out of the EU's ISPA fund. The money is to be used in two projects repairing sewage systems that suffered severe damage during last year's devastating floods.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Czech PM: we are not part of U.S. war on Iraq
    03/20/2003

    The government has sought to clarify its position on the war against Iraq, in the light of conflicting statements from senior Czech officials. Following a meeting of the National Security Council on Thursday Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla said the Czech Republic was not a member of the so-called "coalition of the willing", as claimed by the U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. The prime minister made the statement after a radio interview on Wednesday with the Czech foreign minister, Cyril Svoboda, who said the Czech Republic was "on the side of" the U.S. coalition because it was a coalition of democratic countries.
    Author: Rob Cameron

  • Spidla clarifies mandate of anti-chemical unit
    03/20/2003

    Prime Minister Spidla clarified the exact mandate of the Czech anti-chemical unit currently stationed alongside U.S. troops in Kuwait. He said the unit would not join an offensive against Iraq and would only provide humanitarian assistance if Iraq used weapons of mass destruction. Mr Spidla said the 350-strong unit - which specialises in detecting nuclear, biological and chemical weapons - would only intervene to save lives in Kuwait or neighbouring countries. The Defence Ministry has said none of the soldiers were injured in Thursday's Iraqi rocket attack on Kuwait.
    Author: Rob Cameron

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