Czech politicians point to number of "blank" areas in EU reform treaty

The Czech deputy prime minister for EU affairs, Alexandr Vondra, has indicated that the EU reform treaty set to replace the rejected EU constitution contains a number of "blank" areas; he discussed the issue after a meeting with President Vaclav Klaus, Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, and Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg on Thursday. Ratification of the EU reform treaty was not discussed per se, but all four representatives agreed to hold regular meetings in order to coordinate further political steps. Mr Vondra said the prevailing opinion was to have the EU reform treaty ratified in parliament as opposed to a referendum.

On Thursday, President Klaus also discussed a planned speech at the forthcoming U.N. General Assembly in New York. Mr Vondra told journalists he expected the president will use his visit to promote the Czech Republic's candidacy for a non-permanent member seat in the U.N. Security Council in 2008-2009.