Press Review
Again today, the dailies concentrate primarily on the war in Iraq. Photos of soldiers in action, Saddam Hussein delivering a speech on TV and the US Apache helicopter that was downed southwest of Baghdad, dominate the front pages. LIDOVE NOVINY writes that Iraqi television reported the helicopter was shot down by an Iraqi farmer who used a gun manufactured in the Brno arms factory in the former Czechoslovakia.
Again today, the dailies concentrate primarily on the war in Iraq. Photos of soldiers in action, Saddam Hussein delivering a speech on TV and the US Apache helicopter that was downed southwest of Baghdad, dominate the front pages. LIDOVE NOVINY writes that Iraqi television reported the helicopter was shot down by an Iraqi farmer who used a gun manufactured in the Brno arms factory in the former Czechoslovakia.
MLADA FRONTA DNES features a commentary written by President Vaclav Klaus. "Iraq is a dictatorship, a regime unacceptable and dangerous for the contemporary Euro-Atlantic civilisation," Mr Klaus writes, adding however, that the idea of implementing democracy by military force seems to him like something from another universe. President Klaus also writes that it is possible to support and inspire democracy but it is impossible to order it and even less so by military force.
LIDOVE NOVINY reports on the life of the Czech anti-chemical troops in Kuwait. Since the start of the war they have had to run to a shelter for fifteen times due to missile alerts. Every time the sirens go on they have to put on their anti-chemical gear and a gas mask they carry around with them all the time and immediately run down to a shelter. The members of the anti-chemical, anti-biological and anti-nuclear unit are now fulfilling their standard duties, they are patrolling the streets of Kuwait City and monitoring the air for dangerous agents.
The financial daily HOSPODARSKE NOVINY profiles the commander of the Czech troops in Kuwait, brigadier Dusan Lupuljev who has 24 years of experience with anti-chemical warfare. Brigadier Lupuljev has participated in a number of foreign missions. As a member of the Czechoslovak anti-chemical unit he took part in operation Desert Storm twelve years ago. From November 2001 until January 2002 Dusan Lupuljev was the Czech Republic's liaison officer at the command of the Enduring Freedom operation in Tampa, Florida.
Back to LIDOVE NOVINY, and the paper comments on yesterday's expulsion of an Iraqi diplomat from the Czech Republic. The Foreign Ministry explained its move by saying the activities of Mr Al-Ani were not in line with his diplomatic mission. Mr Al-Ani was the fifth diplomat to be expelled from the Czech Republic during the last few days. According to the Foreign Ministry, the first four have already left the Czech Republic for an unspecified country outside Europe.
LIDOVE NOVINY adds that there are no Czech diplomats in Iraq, therefore the country cannot take any retaliatory measures. The affairs of the Czech embassy in Baghdad are being taken care of by the embassy in Damascus, Syria. The paper says that the Czech Foreign Ministry acted upon the recommendation by the United States, which indicated 300 Iraqis in 60 countries who should be expelled according to the US. Although a number of countries observed the US suggestion, others, such as Russia, France, Austria and Belgium refused to expel Iraqi diplomats from their countries. PRAVO reports that a hospital in Prague has admitted another person suspected of suffering from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, the deadly Asian pneumonia. The woman, who returned from a holiday in Singapore last week, showed symptoms similar to those of the disease. In the Czech Republic, this brings the total number of suspected cases of the severe strain of pneumonia to seven. Four patients have been hospitalised in Prague and three in Brno.
