Czech Happenings

• CzechRep ready to negotiate about money for Afghanistan - PM
  Chicago - Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas said Czechs are ready to negotiate about money for Afghanistan, but it is too early for details, such as the specific level of support that the United States wants the Allies to promise at the current NATO summit, he told Czech Radio in Chicago.
  
  
• Filip defends post of Czech Communist party chairman
  Liberec - Vojtech Filip defended the post of chairman of the Czech Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) when he beat Stanislav Grospic in the second round of election at the party congress late on Saturday.
  
  
• Czech CSSD calls on Rath to give up deputy mandate
  Prague - The Czech opposition Social Democrat (CSSD) central executive committee complied today with the party presidium´s proposal and called on David Rath, former Central Bohemia Region governor accused of corruption, to give up his deputy mandate.
  
  
• Czech CSSD nominates Dienstbier its presidential candidate
  Prague - The Czech opposition Social Democrats (CSSD) nominated today senator Jiri Dienstbier, 42, their candidate for the first direct presidential election by 107 out of 152 votes, while 35 members of the party central executive committee were against him.
  
  
• Deepest revolutionary social changes ahead of Czechs - KSCM
  Liberec - Deepest revolutionary social changes lie ahead of Czechs, Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) chairman Vojtech Filip told the party´s 8th congress today and added that Czech society is at a turning point.
  
  
• Czech press survey - May 19
  Prague - All Czech established parties are infested with corruption, but the Social Democrats (CSSD) currently have the "bad luck" that they rule in all 13 but one Czech regions and the party is a favourite of the next regional elections to be held this autumn according to public opinion polls, Martin Zverina writes in Lidove noviny today.
  
  
• Rath entitled to attend parliament debate on his case-Czech court
  Prague - David Rath, a Czech MP who faces corruption charges and stays in custody, has the right to attend the Chamber of Deputies´ session that is to definitively decide on his release for prosecution, the district court supervising the case said today, cited by its spokesman.
  
  
• Czech Communists are not giving up long-term goal - socialism
  Prague - The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) is not giving up its long-term goal - socialism that they consider to be the first stage of communism, this is said in the "Main tasks and orientation of party work after the 8th KSCM congress" that is to be approved at the weekend.
  
  
• No proof Iran wants to end nuclear programme-Israeli PM in Prague
  Prague - Israel wishes the dispute over Iran´s nuclear programme to be solved by diplomatic means, but it can see nothing proving that Iran is going to end the programme, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after a meeting with Czech President Vaclav Klaus today.
  
  
• Two-fifths of Czechs approve of Rath's arrest over bribery - poll
  Prague - Some 42 percent agree with the view that the detention of former central Bohemia governor David Rath (Social Democrats, CSSD) over bribery charges was right, according to an Internet poll conducted by the polling agency SANEP in the past days and released today.