Klaus, Schwarzenberg discuss on foreign policy

President Václav Klaus and Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg (TOP 09) yesterday exchanged their views on the draft foreign policy.

Prague, June 30 (CTK) - Czech President Vaclav Klaus and Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg (TOP 09) yesterday exchanged their views on the draft foreign policy concept to which Klaus had voiced reservations, primarily about the Czech position on the EU.

Schwarzenberg told journalists after the meeting that some time ago Klaus had sent a critical letter on the draft to him.

Schwarzenberg and Klaus discussed the disputed questions for about an hour. Schwarzenberg explained his positions and also spoke about his Wednesday visit to Libya and the forthcoming Czech presidency of the Visegrad Four (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia).

Schwarzenberg refused to elaborate on his dispute with Klaus over the concept.

"I would need twenty minutes to explains this to you. You'd better ask Klaus," Schwarzenberg said.

The daily Lidove noviny (LN) wrote last week that Klaus had complained about Schwarzenberg's concept being written in a bureaucratic, not political style. He argued that it was hard to say what steps government politicians would take in Brussels based on the concept.

Klaus also resented the document fully ignoring the latest developments in the eurozone facing the risk of Greece's bankruptcy.

Along with Klaus, Prime Minister Petr Necas and Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra (both Civic Democrats, ODS) criticised it.

Vondra told LN that the document did not mention the necessity to materialise Klaus's addendum or an opt-out from the validity of the Charter of Fundamental Rights that is part of the Lisbon Treaty.

The approval of the opt-out is threatened since the left-dominated Senate, the upper house of parliament, may reject it.

Klaus linked his signature of the Lisbon Treaty with an opt-out, saying the Charter enables, or could enable, the return of the property confiscated from Sudeten Germans after World War Two. The opt-out is to be embedded in the EU treaties within the next EU enlargement.

If the government submitted the opt-out along with the proposal for Croatia's EU accession, the EU entry of this Balkan country may be endangered.

The opposition Social Democrats, who dominate the Senate whose consent is crucial for the treaty's approval, are against the opt-out.