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ODS slams government policy programme but pledges support
As you may have heard on Radio Prague, the new Czech Social Democratic
minority government made public its policy programme on Friday.
Despite a great deal of criticism from opposition parties the Civic
Democratic party of Vaclav Klaus has announced it would enable Zeman's
government to win its vote of confidence. More from Daniela Lazarova.
The Social Democrats' policy programme gives priority to reforms,
internal security, greater transparency of the capital market and a
clean hands campaign, designed to do away with corruption and illegal
financial practices at all levels. In continuing the transition to a
Western-style economy the government intends to place a special
emphasis on social and environment policy. As one opposition mp put
it "all highly commendable -but where's the money going to come from?"
The only hint the Social Democrats have given of that is their plan
to raise taxes and review spending. Although the programme envisages
a balanced budget, critics say that is a mere illusion and that a
great deal of the extra money collected in taxes will go towards
financing a new army of bureaucrats.
Although scepticism abounds, and
even prime minister Milos Zeman has described his Cabinet as engaging
upon a suicide mission, this will not prevent the minority government
from winning its confidence vote on August 18th. Though the ODS
slammed the policy programme as being "full of holes" it is keeping
its part of the opposition agreement with the Social Democrats, and
plans to walk out of the assembly hall during the crucial vote.
"The policy programme does not give us any cause to prevent this
government from attempting to implement it, ODS deputy chairman
Miroslav Macek told the press. Given the election results, it's only
fair the Social Democrats get their chance to fall flat on their
faces," he added.
Czech-German relations
Czech-German relations are still highly charged as a diplomatic war of words continues between politicians on both sides. Catherine Miller has the details.
German finance minister, Theo Waigel has demanded a complete retraction of Czech prime minister Milos Zeman's comments about Sudeten German members of the bilateral discussion forum. Last month, the Czech prime minister aroused controversy by remarks in which, according to German interpretations, he compared Sudeten Germans to Czech extremist parties. Waigel's reaction is just the latest in a wave of sharp criticism from the German side. "This statement must be erased from the world, he said, so that we can at last create a basis for negotiations."
Zeman has consistently refused to withdraw his statement, asserting that it has been misinterpreted. He claims that what he said was that people who do not support the joint Czech-German declaration - which expresses regret for actions undertaken by both sides during the second world war - should not be allowed to take part in the discussion forum. On the Czech side this means the right-wing Republican party and the Communists do not sit in the forum and Zeman believes the same should apply to the Sudeten Germans.
Zeman's comments have also caused ripples in the domestic pond with opposition parties exploiting the new prime minister's first major gaffe. On TV Nova's Sunday discussion programme, deputy chairman of the Civic Democratic Party, Miroslav Macek condemned Zeman's, quote, "big mouth" and suggested that the prime minister speaks more quickly than he thinks.
However, deputy prime minister, Vladimir Spidla defended his leader and blamed the pre-election atmosphere in Germany for what he called "the aggressive interpretation" of Zeman's words.
Spidla denounced the German right for "playing the nationalist card" in their election campaign, and claimed that whatever the result after the German elections, Czech-German relations would emerge from the fray unscathed.
Holocaust victims to receive payments
The German government have finally reached an agreement with the Jewish Claims Conference upon the amount of compensation to be paid to survivors of the Holocaust. More from Peter Smith.
In a report published in the German news magazine Der Spiegel on Saturday, a spokesperson for the German Finance Ministry confirmed that Bonn had reached an agreement with the conference upon the size of the compensation to be paid.
According to the report, the German government have agreed to pay 200 million DM (around $110 million dollars) into a fund for the 18,000 or so Holocaust survivors in Eastern Europe yet to receive any compensation.
The report also stipulated that the assessment criteria for compensation be simplified, so that more 'seriously harmed Jewish' victims can receive money from the fund. The new system would also take into account the length of time survivors spent in Nazi concentration camps and transit camps such as Terezin in Northern Bohemia.
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