• Two hundred attend anti-war demonstration in Prague
    09/22/2002

    Around 200 people attended an anti-war demonstration in Prague on Saturday, organised by anarchist and far-left groups. Demonstrators listened to speeches against the forthcoming NATO summit in Prague. Police said the demonstration was peaceful, although two people were arrested for minor offences.
    Author: Rob Cameron

  • Havel meets Annan, calls for "clear demands" to Iraq
    09/21/2002

    President Vaclav Havel, currently on a six-day state visit to the United States, has met the U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan in New York. The two men stressed the importance of a U.N. Security Council resolution on Iraq. President Havel said any resolution on Iraq should lay down clear demands, but if such demands were rejected, the path to military action would be open. Mr Havel stressed that any action should be carried out by a broad international coalition, possibly involving NATO.
    Author: Rob Cameron

  • Two hundred attend anti-war demonstration in Prague
    09/21/2002

    Around 200 people have attended an anti-war demonstration in Prague, organised by anarchist groups. Demonstrators listened to speeches against the forthcoming NATO summit in Prague. Police said the demonstration was peaceful, although two people were arrested for minor offences.
    Author: Rob Cameron

  • President Havel visits site of World Trade Centre
    09/20/2002

    President Vaclav Havel, who is on a six-day official visit to the United States, has visited the site of the World Trade Center in New York. Mr Havel said that the September 11 attacks had been an attack not only on the United States but on the whole of humanity and civilisation. President Havel was also due to hold talks with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. A reception is being held in Mr Havel's honour on Friday evening, and will feature a concert involving Placido Domingo, Lou Reed and former US president Bill Clinton.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Britain deports 48 Czech asylum seekers
    09/20/2002

    Great Britain deported some 48 Czech asylum seekers on Friday and plans to deport more in the coming week, Ladislav Balaz of the Trans Europa Roma Federation told reporters. Meanwhile, the British Home Office said it had flown 28 Czech citizens home two weeks ago. The number of Czechs seeking asylum in Britain - most of whom are Romanies - is constantly increasing, according to UK authorities. The Romanies say they suffer violence and constant discrimination in the Czech Republic.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Final depositions heard in trial of former high-ranking communist officials
    09/20/2002

    The final depositions have been heard in the trial of two former high-ranking communist officials. Milous Jakes, who is now 80, and Jozef Lenart, 79, face charges of assisting treason, for their part in the Soviet-led invasion of 1968. The two men attempted to 'legalise' the invasion by forming a 'workers' government. A verdict in the trial is expected on Monday.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Senate passes bill on EU referendum
    09/19/2002

    The Czech senate has unanimously approved a bill that should allow Czechs to vote in a referendum next year to decide the Czech Republic's entry to the European Union. Submitted on Thursday by members of the Senate Commission for the Constitution, the draft amendment outlines the rules for Czech EU accession; under the bill, the referendum will be held 3 months following the signature of the Czech Republic's signing of the EU accession treaty, set to take place in the first half of 2003. Czech parliament must now also pass the bill; a failure to do so would leave the decision on EU accession up to parliament alone.
    Author: Jan Velinger

  • Government parties sign amendment to coalition agreement
    09/18/2002

    Leaders of all three parties in the Czech ruling coalition signed an amendment to their coalition agreement on Wednesday to end a crisis threatening the government of Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla. The coalition came close to breaking apart last Friday, when an MP from the right-of-centre Freedom Union voted against the government's tax reform bill, designed to raise money to pay for damage caused by the recent devastating floods. To punish the party for the renegade deputy, Mr Spidla initially planned to sack all three Freedom Union cabinet members. But he changed his mind after the Freedom Union threatened to pull out of the coalition. The new agreement calls for more discussion in future among the parties ahead of key votes. In exchange, the Freedom Union has guaranteed that all 10 of its members in the lower house will vote along government lines on key issues.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Havel meets Bush
    09/18/2002

    President Vaclav Havel, who's on a state visit to the United States, has met the US President George Bush in the White House for talks on the fight against terrorism and the upcoming NATO summit which will take place in Prague. Representatives of 19 NATO members together with other 27 countries participating in the Partnership for Peace programme will meet in the Czech capital at the end of November. Mr Havel is accompanied on his visit by Defence Minister Jaroslav Tvrdik, the Czech Ambassador to the US, Martin Palous, and the NATO summit chief organiser, Alexander Vondra. Taking part in the talks are also Mr Bush's National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice, and the US Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Craig Stapleton.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Havel to push for NATO to accept seven newcomers
    09/18/2002

    Before his departure Mr Havel said he would be pushing for NATO to take in seven post-Communist states in meetings with senior U.S. officials. The Czech President said he wanted NATO to accept Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the three Baltic states at its forthcoming summit in Prague. The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland became the first post-Communist countries to join the alliance in 1999.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

Pages