Havel had different view of the world - Czech President Klaus

Klaus, 71, recalled that he talked with Havel (1936-2011) many times "in a normal way" but he also admitted more tense moments between them.

"I have never concealed that my view of the world diametrically differs from his (Havel´s) and I would say absolutely in everything," Klaus told CT.

It was Havel who launched open attacks, he added.

In this respect, Klaus reminded of Havel´s speech in Prague´s Rudolfinum in 1997 when Klaus´s coalition government collapsed and he resigned as prime minister.

Havel then sharply criticised what he called the technocratic concept of the society´s transformation without the promotion of moral and legal principles. Though Havel did not name anyone, most people perceived his speech as settling a score with Klaus.

Klaus recently called Havel an extreme leftist who was destroying the existing human order in an interview for Polish weekly Do rzeczy.

Havel, playwright and dissident, was Czechoslovak president after the collapse of the communist regime from December 1989 to 1992 and Czech president in 1993-2003. He died on December 18, 2011 aged 75 years.

Klaus was elected president in early 2003 and re-elected five years later. His second and last possible term in office expires on March 7 and his successor Milos Zeman will be inaugurated a day later.

Commenting on PM Petr Necas (Civic Democrats, ODS) Klaus said they are not very distant in ideological terms but he must sometimes disagree with Necas´s way of heading the government.

Their relations has never been so personal to go for a beer together, Klaus added.

He said he feels sad about the development in the ODS that he established in 1991 and headed for years.

The ODS has been losing voter support, according to opinion polls. The party suffered a debacle in the Senate and regional elections last autumn, and its presidential candidate, senator Premysl Sobotka, completely failed in the January direct presidential election.

"I think that the party is changing, logically, generations are exchanging, the times are changing and other people are entering politics," Klaus pointed out about the ODS.

He is convinced that many people in the ODS share his view of the situation and they call on him to return, Klaus said.

In the interview Klaus also express his opinion about the trade unions. They are relatively weak in the Czech Republic and not as strong as their bosses believe since the number of union members is decreasing dramatically, Klaus told CT.

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz