Lisbon treaty crucial in fight between two ODS camps

Prague, Nov 19 (CTK) - The Czech ruling Civic Democratic Party (ODS)
clearly failed in the recent Senate and regional elections, its members
started to blame one another and it is the Lisbon treaty that plays the key
role in their fight for who will be the new ODS leaders, the weekly Respekt
writes in its latest issue.

As it is usual in parties after an election defeat, one camp calls for the
party's modernisation, while the other wants to return to its roots, Jiri
Sobota writes in Respekt.

But what are the party's roots? Sobota asks.

He says Prague Mayor Pavel Bem, against whom Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek
will be defending the post of ODS chairman in December, believes that the
opposition to the Lisbon treaty is a foundation stone of the ODS.

Bem declared this at the moment when Czech President Vaclav Klaus was
campaigning against the treaty in Dublin and said he was an "EU dissident,"
Sobota writes.

A part of the Civic Democrats seems to be forgetting why their party lost
the elections, he says, adding that the positive attitude towards the
Lisbon treaty hardly was the reason of the party's failure.

On the contrary, Czech regions are highly interested in subsidies from EU
funds, Sobota writes.

In fact, the Lisbon treaty is one of the few points on which the Topolanek
and Bem-Klaus camps clearly differ.

It is not knowns whether Bem and Klaus have different views on the
structure of the economy, the tax system, education or on how not to rely
on Russia in power supplies, but it seems that they do not have any clear
vision, Sobota writes.

Bem and Klaus do not seem to have different views on two issues that
probably contributed to the ODS election defeat the most, the health care
reform and the planned stationing of a U.S. radar on Czech soil, than
Topolanek and his government.

The Lisbon treaty has become an enemy against whom some ODS members can
unite.

Why does Topolanek support the treaty even though he was originally against
it, same as Klaus and Bem?

Topolanek has found out during the talks with other European top
representatives that the EU functioning is based on negotiating, not on
fighting, Sobota writes.

The opposition to the Lisbon treaty is legitimate, but those who want to
get rid of it should offer an alternative, he points out.

One may ratify the treaty, even though one knows it is a compromise. One
may write a different document and win support for it in the European
Union, Sobota writes.

Klaus and his allies have never shown any such effort, however, Sobota
writes, adding that one may also consider the treaty absolutely
unacceptable and leave the EU.

Sobota writes that it is not so that there would not be room for a
different opinion. But the EU needs to deal with important issues like the
financial crisis, the powerful Russia and new relations with the United
States.

The failure of the treaty would be a big complication and it would weaken
the EU at the least suitable moment. Let us hope that Bem and Klaus want
more than only to sabotage the EU's functioning, Sobota writes.