votes: You say postponed You do not say cancelled I can practically rule out the possibility that the project will be cancelled It is like if I found roses in blossom in January in my garden then I would have to re value the basis of my garden But I would not cancel my garden because of it moreover there are no roses in blossom in January I understand the new American administration that it wants to check everything Even my son when I gave my properties to him checked my previous decisions But then I do not understand why numerous journalists and experts understood the talks in the States in a completely different way If you wish for something too much every statement that could support it in some way is interpreted in the sense of your wish This is a normal human feature But we clearly heard that the project is about to continue Barack Obama is trying to negotiate with Russia on the help in Afghanistan Could this be also one of the reasons for the slowdown of the support of the anti rocket defence system by the Americans America mainly tries to reach the stadium when Iran would give up its own nuclear ambitions And they want the Russians to support them in their pressure on Iran You personally have always supported the US radar very much Would you feel it was a mean trick if the Americans gave up the idea of the radar in the end If it is just a postponement in terms of time I fully understand it I want just to point out that development is fast Ten years ago no one thought that e g the Iranians would be able to send their own satellite into space And yet they have succeeded And this is according to you the reason why the agreements between us and the USA should be approved by the Chamber of Deputies It is not just the issues of safety However we managed to get so advantageous agreements with the States so that there is no other country in the world that has such conditions and none of them has kept such independence from the USA under such circumstances We also gained access to the best scientific institutes which is not common Therefore the agreements should be ratified even if there is never any ball built in the Brdy Moun tains It will bring even more advantages to Czech economy science and research These advantages do not depend on the construction of the US radar but on the ratification of the agreements Why are there so many voices saying that it should be a project shielded by the NATO The Alliance did not agree to it because of its love to us and to the Americans but because it is considered to be the pillar of the European anti rocket defence system But Russia is still against it I had an interesting personal experience with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Lavrov in Russia a couple of days ago During the talks he did not speak really sharply but he ordered a question from a friendly journalist and he said that the Czech Republic belonged to Eastern Europe Why did he say that These were the countries that belonged to the Warsaw Pact This comment is alarming and that is also the reason for the radar in our country Not because it would be directed against Russia It is not But we need to state clearly and openly that we belong to the West What is the radar scenario that you expect The Americans are studying and checking everything again and they will decide afterwards A slight postponement in the terms of time together with financial cuts may occur but they will continue their work in the anti rocked defence system I also expect that the Russians will try to hug the new American government and embrace it in expressions full of love under the pressure of the crisis Well the Russians have given their love hugs to quite a lot of nations but then there came a strong bearer hug My long time experience tells me that the honeymoon with Russia never lasts long As far as Russia is concerned it is always strong power interests that prevail If there are no early elections there is just one year and about four months till the next parliamentary elections in the regular term If it were possible for you to stay in the government even after the elections would you decide to do it with respect to your experience from the current government I do not think it is realistic After the elections there will be a different coalition I have never occupied myself with things that are mostly improbable Either I am going to serve till 2010 with the help of God or the government will fall earlier and I will finish Fair enough By Viliam Buchert MF DNES 18 Leaders Magazine II 2009 From left Josef Zoser Senator Mrs Ája Vrzáňová Steindler the only Czech World Champion and quadruple European Champion in Figur skating and Karel Schwarzenberg Minister of Foreign Affairs českou verzi naleznete na www leadersmagazine cz
The period of election campaigns This is always the time of the harvest and the peak season of picking negative definitions The Czechs and their special elected or more or less tolerated species PCP Petty Czech Politician show verbally with the help of their fingers on billboards in texts and in pictures what is the other like and what crimes has he committed Sometimes it is true but how beautifully it detracts from the fact that normally they have nothing to say Or even that someone might happen to realize that I am in fact the same as those I am pointing my little finger at At present it seems that negative definitions almost catch up with another Czech widely spread characteristic feature envy Sometimes no one is able to avoid such reactions a collision with an idiot a civil servant my own pubescent children bring a temptation when no one can resist negative reactions Where is the period characterized by the well known cartoon by Rencin There is a citizen leading a bull he is holding it by the ring in its nose to a clerk and saying a magnificent sentence Sir last time we were not able to agree so today I’m coming with an interpreter At that time the Czechs were witty and did not fret about things Sometimes the Rule No 6 might help I read about it in a book by the famous Chicago conductor and musician Benjamin Zander Benjamin writes in it about his visit to the Foreign Ministry in London He was talking with the deputy minister when an angry junior minister ran into the office with a litany of complaints The deputy minister interrupted him and mentioned the rule No 6 The junior minister stopped immediately and relaxed When he left Benjamin asked about the Rule No 6 and the deputy minister replied The Rule No 6 says Don’t take yourself so goddamn seriously He observed that after its implementation the work at the ministry was definitely more relaxed and more effective It was usually sufficient just to mention it It would do no harm if we when blaming our bosses companies government and environment started with ourselves It often seems to me that the Czechs should have at least ten fingers on each hand to point at everyone and everything that is to blame for the misery which they find themselves in now This way of expressing ourselves at the same time miraculously moves the responsibility for our health education and work from us and puts it on someone else who just messed it up What if we tried for a while and kept those accusations where they belong in the pub and social chatter and what if we asked not only our politicians for positive changes and responsibility for our fate but ourselves If we could manage it with a bit of fun addressed at ourselves we will become one of the most charming nations in Europe We should vote not for political parties but for real personalities who know something and have done something Regardless of the leaders of the candidate lists who reached their place with the use of sharp elbows or thanks to threadbare trousers from sitting for long hours at party secretariats In Europe we cannot achieve anything thanks to quantity we are far too small a nation for that What if we tried to use our qualities By Ivan Pilný President of Tuesday Business Network Former Chairman of Czech Telecom In partnership with Leaders Magazine českou verzi naleznete na www leadersmagazine cz SHOW WHAT YOU DON’T LIKE Leaders Magazine II 2009 19 Photo Archive
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