Klaus criticises Nečas for not finding defence minister yet

Ceske Budejovice, South Bohemia, Feb 14 (CTK) - Outgoing Czech President Vaclav Klaus does not like that the government has been without the defence minister since December after Deputy PM Karolina Peake was dismissed from the post, Klaus said yesterday.

He said he had talked Prime Minister Petr Necas out of appointing her. After her flash sacking he expected the name of her successor to be known immediately after Christmas, Klaus added.

"I automatically expected the prime minister to submit some proposal to me in the first days of January. But nothing like that happened," said Klaus, whose term expires on March 7.

He will be replaced as head of state by Milos Zeman a day alter.

Necas (Civic Democrats, ODS) is now temporarily heading the Defence Ministry.

He has been seeking an unaffiliated expert to become a new minister but so far in vain, according to available information.

Klaus criticised Necas for not having found the new minister yet.

Necas dismissed Peake in December 2012 after mere eight days in office over a total loss of confidence in her as she was preparing a total personnel earthquake behind his back, he said.

This step stirred up a coalition government crisis as her party LIDEM threatened with departure from the government for some time.

Peake replaced defence minister Alexandr Vondra (ODS) who resigned from the government as from December 7, 2012, citing his defeat in the October Senate elections among the reasons.

Klaus said yesterday he had considered Peake's appointment a mistake from the beginning and that he had tried to persuade Necas not to appoint her.

Several names of a possible new defence minister have been mentioned behind the scenes, including current deputy defence minister and former chief of staff Vlastimil Picek and ambassador to Germany Rudolf Jindrak as well as Ambassador to NATO Jiri Sedivy and Ambassador to Israel Tomas Pojar.

Most recently, former military intelligence chief Ondrej Palenik and the Defence Ministry's general secretary Jan Vylita were speculated about.

Necas is on holiday abroad this week.