Czech press survey - Februar 21

Czech soldiers were originally only to train Malian troops in the capital in a quite safe locality. However, later it turned out that Czechs would serve as security guards this year. Besides, the currently safe conditions may change with time as the biter experience from Afghanistan shows, Danda says.

Moreover, the 15-month mission may be prolonged in the case of further complications in Mali, Danda writes.

On the other hand he admits that it was a reasonable step to participate in the Malian mission, in which the EU for the first time decided to test its defence capabilities.

"If we take the EU and the creation of its foreign policy seriously, we will have to sooner or later think not only of adopting the single currency but also common defence," Danda writes in Pravo.

Czech president-elect Milos Zeman has not yet officially met Chamber of Deputies chairwoman Miroslava Nemcova and Deputy PM and government LIDEM head Karolina Peake probably because they are both women, Jana Bendova writes in Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) today.

She recalls that Nemcova (senior government Civic Democrats, ODS) is the third highest constitutional official in the country after the president and the Senate chairman whom Zeman has met.

However, it would be misleading to blame Zeman for "male chauvinism" as he rather intends to "protect women," Bendova writes.

She recalls that Zeman justified the fact that there was not a single woman in his Social Democrat (CSSD) cabinet (1998-2002) saying he would like to protect women and not harm their prestige and reputation by the participation in his "cabinet of suicide-makers" as he called it.

Zeman, however, said he would invite Nemcova for lunch. Who could resist such a postponed invitation, moreover conveyed via the media? Bendova asks.

Former Czech Labour and social affairs minister Jaromir Drabek (TOP 09), who resigned last November, is to blame for the current chaotic situation at Czech labour offices, Jan Keller writes in Pravo today.

He recalls that the unemployment rate is record high in the 10.5-million Czech Republic where almost 600,000 people are jobless and labour office s cannot help then very much.

Drabek´s reform abolished what had been working quite well and led to a situation in which clerks and their clients complicate each others´ lives.

The clerks who must monthly divide benefits worth seven billion crowns in a badly functioning system have no time to seek jobs for people and show an individual approach to them.

Fortunately, Drabek has nothing to do with the social policy any more but those who stayed at labour offices after him deserve a deep compassion, Keller writes in conclusion.

($=18.994)

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz