Klaus's aide jokingly lets Czechs leave EU

Prague, Oct 22 (CTK) - Ladislav Jakl, a presidential candidate and assistant of President Vaclav Klaus , has published a mock "New Year's Speech" in which he announced that the Czech Republic has withdrawn from the EU.

Jakl wrote that EU membership had done "more harm than good" to the Czech Republic.

Jakl was fielded by the marginal, extra-parliamentary Free Citizens' Party (SOS) that will hold a public rally for the Czech Republic's leaving the EU on Sunday.

"This morning, I sent a letter on behalf of the Czech Republic to the president of the European Council saying that as of Monday, the Czech Republic is leaving the European Union, becoming again an independent, sovereign state," Jakl says on a video recording published by the server Youtube.com.

Jakl said the Czech Republic was ready to cooperate with anyone, but only under mutually advantageous conditions.

"The time of the Brussels dictate is over," Jakl said.

Imitating Vaclav Havel's first speech as postcommunist president delivered on January 1, 1990, Jakl writes: "No, the European Union is not flourishing." Havel said "No, your country is not flourishing."

"The EU is no space of cooperation and harmony, but the space of a growing tension between social groups and nations," Jakl said at the beginning of his speech.

On Sunday, the SOS will stage a demonstration for the freedom of the Czech Republic.

"We will recall again the day of our becoming independent from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the establishment of the sovereign Czecho-Slovakia in 1918," SOS spokeswoman Tereza Melisova said.

"We will speak in favour of the Czech Republic's becoming independent from the EU," she added.

Klaus has signed the petition for Jakl's candidature.

However, Jakl has not announced the collection of the 50,000 required to join the presidential race.

According to the latest polls, former prime ministers Jan Fischer and Milos Zeman are the favourites of the first direct presidential election set for next January.

The required conditions have also been met by another six candidates.

Klaus is an ardent opponent of further European integration. Due to his resistance, the Czech Republic was the last EU country to join the Lisbon Treaty.