Education Minister to sack Bátora as section head

Prague, Aug 29 (CTK) - Czech Education Minister Josef Dobes (Public Affairs, VV) agreed with TOP 09 chairman and Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg that he would dismiss Ladislav Batora as the Education Ministry's personnel section head as of September 1, Schwarzenberg confirmed to CTK Monday.

However, the controversial Batora will stay at the ministry, the Aktualne.cz server reported.

After Dobes's promise to dismiss Batora, the TOP 09 ministers will attend the government meeting on Wednesday, Schwarzenberg said.

"I am grateful to Minister Dobes for his accommodating approach," Schwarzenberg told CTK.

He added that Dobes had understood his arguments.

"He (Dobes) has understood that this is not a fight against him but a principled stance of a man who experienced the (wartime) Protectorate (of Bohemia and Moravia) as a child," Schwarzenberg said.

Disputes about Batora have threatened the government coalition of the Civic Democrats (ODS), TOP 09 and the VV lately.

Batora, chairman of the D.O.S.T. conservative group, was running for the the extremist National Party (NS) in the election to the Chamber of Deputies in the past.

TOP 09 demanded Batora's dismissal as the ministry's section head over his links to the ultra-right scene and his offensive remarks on Schwarzenberg, or Dobes's resignation.

Batora offended Schwarzenberg by calling him "an old lame duck" on his Facebook profile.

Dobes apologised for Batora's words but he refused to sack him.

In reaction to it, the TOP 09 ministers decided not to attend the government meetings.

VV deputy group head Vit Barta told public Czech Television (CT) that Batora would be "promoted" to the post of deputy head of the Education Ministry's office and he would be in charge of the IT and property agenda.

Batora will also deal with the same issues he originally dealt with as Dobes's adviser, Barta said, adding that he did not know details.

"We have been informed that Mr Batora will be a rank-and-file employee of the Education Ministry. Monday's information from Barta... has slightly undermined the principle of trust in this agreement," TOP 09 deputy Stanislav Polcak told CT in reaction to Barta's words.