Social Democrats want Civic Democrats to prove alleged wiretapping at lower house session

The opposition Social Democrats have said they will convoke an extraordinary lower house session at which the Civic Democrats should provide evidence for their statements that the Social Democrats and their leader Jiri Paroubek are connected with police wiretapping of politicians and journalists. Mr Paroubek said on Thursday that unless the Civic Democrat leaders submit evidence, they should resign. The Civic Democrats suspect the previous government of Prime Minister Paroubek of abusing wiretappings to spy on political opponents and inconvenient journalists. Interior Minister Ivan Langer said on Wednesday that about 20 constitutional officials and journalists were wiretapped as part of the investigation into the leak of a police report by a senior officer just before the June election.