Klaus criticises TOP 09's threat to leave gov't

Prague, Jan 12 (CTK) - Czech President Vaclav Klaus criticised the government TOP 09 and its chairman Karel Schwarzenberg for having often threatened with leaving the government, the last time over an EU treaty on fiscal responsibility, on Czech Radio yesterday.

"In my capacity as president of the republic I cannot reconcile myself to that one political party threatens twice in one and a half days with leaving the government coalition," Klaus said.

He said "first, it was over the (government's) possible failure to return property to churches, second, over the failure to sign the European treaty. It is not simply possible to do politics this way. I believe that it is necessary to eventually tell this clearly to TOP 09 and particularly to Mr Schwarzenberg," Klaus said.

Foreign Minister Schwarzenberg is pressing for the Czech Republic to join the planned EU treaty on fiscal responsibility according to yesterday's issue of daily Lidove noviny (LN).

"I will not be sitting on a government that leads the Czech Republic outside the main stream of European integration," he told LN.

Klaus has been opposed to further EU integration for a long time and he says the Czech Republic should not join similar treaties.

The junior government Public Affairs (VV) hesitated until the last moment about supporting a bill on the return of the property that was confiscated from churches by the previous regime.

TOP 09 as well as Prime Petr Necas (Civic Democrats, ODS) demanded that the VV observe the previously reached agreement between the government coalition parties and churches.

TOP 09 said the VV's refusal to support the bill in the government would be a gross violation of the coalition agreement. Necas threatened the VV ministers with dismissal.

The government eventually approved the bill on Wednesday by the votes of all ministers.

Schwarzenberg's statement on the EU treaty on budget responsibility was also criticised by ODS MEPs chairman Jan Zahradil yesterday.

"Minister Schwarzenberg's words about a possible departure from the government confirm the suspicion that TOP 09 is seeking a pretext to remove this government and to start building a 'pro-European alliance' with the (opposition Social Democrats) CSSD," Zahradil said in a press release.

He said the ODS has had such signals for some time.

Turning to the EU treaty, Zahradil said "it is of key importance that the treaty be only valid for members of the euro zone and that the decision on the Czech Republic's membership of the euro zone be made in a referendum."

Prime Minister Petr Necas (ODS) has not yet announced the definitive stand on the EU treaty, saying the text is being constantly modified.