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Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek has defended his now infamous “road to hell” comments about US measures to counter the economic crisis. In an article in Monday’s edition of the British daily, The Times, Mr Topolánek said he knew that his “hyperbolic” comments would be noticed but did not expect the stir they created. He said he was merely drawing attention to the dangers of protectionism and the adverse affects of state intervention suffered by the US in the 1930’s. Mr Topolánek likened his words to a warning to a friend crossing the street and defended the steps already agreed at EU level to boost the economy. The Czech Prime Minister’s comments have been taken as another signal that the world’s biggest economic powers will not agree a common economic stimulus package at the G20 meeting starting on Thursday.

Separately, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg has moved to dispel fears that the domestic political crisis will spill over into its EU presidency. In an interview on Monday with the German internet server Welt Online, he pointed out that institutions in Prague and Brussels were functioning normally. Mr Schwarzenberg also said he hoped the Czech Republic will ratify the EU’s reforming Lisbon Treaty in the coming weeks. The treaty is at the moment stalled in the Czech upper house, the Senate.

Students who were forced to discontinue their studies for political reasons by the Communist regime after it came to power in 1948 and until 1956 can claim compensation under a proposal approved by the government on Monday. Compensation of up to 100,000 crowns can be awarded with individual applications being vetted by the ministries of education, defence and interior. The Ministry of Education said up to 900 people stood to gain from the measure when it was originally proposed but that total has now fallen to around 300.

Social Democrat leader Jiří Paroubek has said that the price for supporting a transitional government will be the absence of a series of ministers. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Mr Paroubek said four ministers from the outgoing government, including Green Party leader Martin Bursík, should not feature in a new administration. Outgoing Prime Minister and Civic Democrat leader Mirek Topolánek said in a television interview Sunday that discussions over the composition of such a government are still a long way off. The leaders of the country’s two main parties met for around 90 minutes on Friday to discuss a way out of the current political crisis following the defeat of the centre-right coalition in a confidence vote. They agreed early elections should be held but disagreed when.