• Czech demands for EU constitution remain unchanged, says Svoboda
    12/14/2003

    Speaking to Radio Prague the Czech foreign minister, Cyril Svoboda, said that the Czech Republic's key demands as regards the constitution had not changed.

    "The three main points are the commission, the qualified majority voting system and the weight of the votes. All the three problems are still on the table and it is up to all the delegations, up to all the states, to go very carefully through the three points."
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Senior Czech politicians welcome arrest of Saddam Hussein
    12/14/2003

    Senior Czech politicians have welcomed the arrest of Saddam Hussein by United States forces. President Vaclav Klaus said the capture of the former dictator of Iraq should speed up the process of consolidation in the country, while Prime Minister Spidla said the transfer of power to the Iraqi people should now take place more quickly. Foreign Minister Svoboda, meanwhile, praised the work of the United States intelligence services in the capture of Saddam.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Kavan rejects offer to run for Communists in European Parliament elections
    12/14/2003

    Former foreign minister Jan Kavan, who is a member of the Social Democrats, has declined an offer to stand for the Communist Party in elections next year to the European Parliament. Speaking on TV Nova on Sunday, he also said he had turned down a low position on the Social Democrats' list of candidates. The Communists offered Mr Kavan a high place on their list, which would have given him a relatively good chance of being elected. Jan Kavan, who last year was president of the United Nations General Assembly, has been involved in several controversies since the early 1990s.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Roucek to lead Social Democrats in EP elections
    12/14/2003

    Meanwhile, the Social Democrats have chosen a former cabinet spokesman, MP Libor Roucek, to lead their candidates in the European Parliament elections. Mr Roucek, the only candidate put forward by the Social Democrat leadership, defeated members nominated by the party's regional organisations in Sunday's vote. The Czech Republic will have 22 Members of the European Parliament.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czech swimmer Hlavackova takes gold at Euro Short Course Championships
    12/14/2003

    Czech swimmer Ilona Hlavackova took gold in the 50 metres backstroke at the European Short Course Championships in the Irish capital, Dublin on Saturday. Ms Hlavackova's win came a day after she won the silver in the 100 metres backstroke at the championships.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czech delegation returns to Prague after EU constitution summit collapses
    12/13/2003

    Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla, Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda and other senior officials have returned to the Czech Republic after a summit to decide on a constitution for the European Union ended in failure. Talks broke down on Saturday after Spain and Poland refused to surrender voting rights they won at the Nice summit, three years ago.

    A Czech official told the CTK news agency that the inter-governmental conference could continue in the New Year, when Ireland takes over the presidency of the EU. The Czech Republic and nine other mostly former communist countries are due to join the Union on May 1.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Iraqi official tells US investigators he did not meet Mohamed Atta in Prague
    12/13/2003

    A former Iraqi official has told United States investigators that he did not have a meeting in Prague with the suspected leader of the September 11 attacks, the New York Times reported on Saturday. Ahmad Khalil Samir al-Ani denied meeting Mohamed Atta in the Czech capital.

    Though Czech officials had initially said that the two men had met, the CIA and FBI eventually concluded that no such meeting took place. A possible connection between Iraq and the September attacks was a reason used by some conservatives in the US to justify invading Iraq earlier this year.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Man dies when train hits car on level crossing
    12/13/2003

    A man was killed near Jicin in central Bohemia on Saturday when his car was hit by a train at a level crossing at which there was no barrier. Another person was seriously injured in the collision, which is now being investigated by the police.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Chamber of Deputies launches campaign against pawn shops selling stolen goods
    12/13/2003

    The Chamber of Deputies has launched a campaign against pawn shops which deal in stolen goods, passing a bill on Friday under which shopkeepers would have to ascertain the identity of clients. The bill's proponents said there were 1,800 pawn shops in Prague alone, many of which were open around the clock.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Bill passed on building weirs on Elbe despite protests from environmentalists
    12/13/2003

    A bill was also passed on Friday allowing the building of two weirs on the Elbe River in north Bohemia, despite protests from the environment minister, Libor Ambrozek, and environmental groups. Mr Ambrozek said the building of the weirs would damage the eco-system in the areas in question and was in contravention of EU norms.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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