News

The Lower House of Parliament on Tuesday overturned a proposal for victims of the 1968 Soviet led invasion of Czechoslovakia to receive financial compensation. Deputies of the Social Democrat and Communist parties joined forces to reject a bill drafted by the Civic Democrats according to which the families of people who were murdered as well as those who were injured or raped by the occupying forces between 1968 and 1991, when the last Soviet troops left the country, would be eligible for compensation. The families of those killed would get a million crowns, people who had been injured or raped half a million. The Civic Democratic Party has said it is outraged by the result of the vote.

The Czech power utility CEZ has offered towns and villages in the vicinity of the Temelin nuclear power plant 50 million crowns in connection with a planned construction of a storage site for nuclear fuel. A CEZ spokesman said the money would in no way commit the locals, they could still voice their reservations to the project. Municipalities may voice their reservations during the process of granting a construction permit which might complicate the power utility's plans. In the mid 1990s CEZ distributed a similar sum among villages in the vicinity of the Dukovany nuclear power plant. The towns around Temelin are hesitant about taking the offered sum, many of the locals and environmental groups are strongly against accepting the money.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus has arrived in Beirut for a three-day official visit to Lebanon. Accompanied by his wife Livia, Mr Klaus visited the National Museum, and met speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Birri and Government Chairman Rafik Hariri. On Monday night, the Czech presidential couple attend a festive dinner, organised in their honour by Mr Klaus's counterpart Emile Lahoud. The Czech President will also be giving a lecture at the American University of Beirut and hopes to do some sightseeing in the Lebanese capital before leaving for Cyprus on Wednesday, where he is scheduled to stay for two days.

The Czech Republic has maintained diplomatic relations with Lebanon since 1947. The annual trade balance between Lebanon and the Czech Republic has decreased steadily in the last five years from 55 million dollars to 33 million dollars this year, largely favouring Prague, according to official figures. Lebanon mainly imports food, agricultural and chemical products as well as paper, milk, textiles, cars and crystal from the Czech Republic while its exports include agricultural, chemical and mineral products.

Eight Cuban dissidents and former political prisoners arrived in Prague on Sunday to meet politicians and other Czech personalities supporting human rights around the world. The Cubans will meet with former Czech president and dissident Vaclav Havel, Senate Chairman Petr Pithart, members of the Czech Parliament, and had lunch with Deputy Foreign Minister Pavel Vosalik. According to Mr Vosalik, the Czech Republic is willing to finance a campaign that would promote democracy in Cuba from the foreign ministry budget meant for international help. After a meeting with the Chairman of the main opposition Civic Democrats, Miroslav Topolanek, the group was assured that the Czech Republic would continue to support its cause, even if a new government headed by the right-of-centre Civic Democrats was formed. Among the dissidents are three former political prisoners. They were invited to Prague by the Czech humanitarian organisation People in Need, which has been supporting human rights activists fighting against the totalitarian Castro regime in Cuba.