Czech press survey - March 15

This can be seen as pure pragmatism based on a power calculation, or as an expression of the desire to push through own programme, even if it were with the Communists´ help, Cerny writes.

In both cases one answer is missing. What for it? This also means that the Communists might bring to the negotiating table a person with a very much dubious past, Cerny writes.

He says it might be a person of the type that beat up young Vladimir Spidla in August 1969 in a demonstration against the Soviet occupation of then Czechoslovakia, Cerny writes.

The Czech Social Democrats (CSSD) have one unique chance now, to put in harmony their political and economic alternative to the current government coalition with the rehabilitation of European integration that the country really needs ten years after a majority of citizens supported EU membership, ten years that were filled with the activities of the Eurosceptical president Vaclav Klaus, Milos Balaban writes in Pravo.

The CSSD could offer the alternative to citizens in the next general election to be held in mid-2014 and that could be held alongside European Parliament polls, Balaban writes.

It would not be bad if the two elections were conceived as a Czech referendum on Europe. This could help involve the biggest number possible of people in seeking solutions to the biggest number of issues - from the polluted air in Czech towns to international politics, Balaban writes.

Vlastimil Picek, who will probably be new Czech defence minister, will not have an easy task because he will inherit an overblown sector that is partially bust and in which few ministers have earned respect with their professional skills, Antonin Rasek writes elsewhere in Pravo.

The new minister is to take the military to the "post-Afghan" period in which foreign missions will no longer be decisive and when the soldiers will probably play a bigger role in the integrated rescue system and in territorial defence in cooperation with NATO and the EU, Rasek writes.

Daniel Kaiser writes in Lidove noviny on the same theme that Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg´s opposition to Picek´s appointment as new defence minister which he justified saying the military should be controlled by civilians stands no longer.

The military will be saving money in the years to come, the era of large [and often dubious] orders is over, Kaiser writes.

Besides, in the past, the soldiers were making orders according to the wishes of politicians or armament dealers, Kaiser writes.

He says it is good to take into consideration particular connections when applying nice abstract principles, which presupposes some knowledge of the connections.

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz