JUNE 26, 1998

P R E S S  R E V I E W

[ June 25 ] [ June 24 ] [ June 23 ] [ June 22 ] [ June 20 ]
[ June 19 ] [ June 18 ] [ June 17 ] [ June 16 ] [ June 15 ]

The main story in the newspapers today is the post-election horse trading and negotiating around the creation of the future cabinet.

SLOVO declares in its headlines, that Social Democrat Chief Milos Zeman and Christian Democrat leader Josef Lux are looking for what it calls "sensible changes" in the next government. The article focuses on the positive outcome of yesterday's talks between the two and also examines the three possible coalition combinations Zeman outlined last night to President Havel.

According to SLOVO, the main option would appear to be a combination of Zeman's party, Lux's party and Jan Ruml's Freedom Union. The paper makes no bones about the fact that the Ruml-Zeman talks did not lead to any concrete outcome. SLOVO is unimpressed, noting that the discussions led "absolutely nowhere". The article concludes on the pessimistic note that Ruml accepted none of Zeman's proposals and even said that he refuses to enter a coalition with the Social Democrats.

The left wing paper PRAVO also covers the story, but from a more optimistic perspective, writing that two sworn enemies, Milos Zeman and Jan Ruml, finally sat down at the negotiating table together. The article quotes Ruml as having said that the talks were constructive and unmarked by any personal animosity between the two men and that negotiations will continue next week.

Moving onto a slightly different theme, the people's paper LIDOVE NOVINY features an interview on its front page, with Trade and Industry Minister Karel Kuhnl, who warns against underestimating ODS leader Vaclav Klaus. According to Kuhnl, there are more similarities between his Freedom Union and Klaus's party, than between the Union and Zeman's Social Democrats. The paper asks him whether or not he thinks Vaclav Klaus would be willing to re-enter the political fray in this country and Kuhnl answers very briefly that Klaus and his ability to learn from his mistakes should not be underestimated.

MLADA FRONTA DNES in its domestic section, writes that the people whose flats were damages when two Mig fighter planes collided in mid air over a housing estate, have now moved back into their homes. The paper also runs an article alongside this story about the two pilots of the planes who are facing charges of having caused the accident. According to the paper, both men violated flight rules and face sentences of up to five years in prison.

According to HOSPODARSKE NOVINY the Czech intelligence service the BIS, is concerned about its lack of communication with the Czech police force. BIS director Karel Vulterin told the paper that poor communication between the two organisations is playing right into the hands of terrorists and mafia gangs. According to the article, many of these groups are finding it easy to acquire explosives such as the Czech made Semtex or firearms on the black market.

ZEMSKE NOVINY comments that people are being taken in by adverts in newspaper and magazines promising so called "fairytale earnings" by working in America. The article warns readers and mentions the names of various companies which are making promises they never keep. "People pay in advance for work permits they never receive and when they arrive at the office of the company, find the doors locked and no-one around" notes the paper, telling readers to be careful. The paper concludes by warning that: "Many people do find work in America, only to discover later on that they are in the US illegally. After that they often stay on and risk being discovered and deported by US Immigration authorities".

Please send us your comments.

RP Home / Radio Prague in English / Press Review

Radio Prague Internet Team
cr@radio.cz

Radio Prague, Vinohradska 12, 12099 Prague 2, Czech Republic
tel (+4202) 240 94 608 * fax (+4202) 242 182 39
WWW http://www.radio.cz/press/