Pravda.ru: Treason charges against Klaus may be "EU's revenge"

Moscow, March 5 (CTK) - Treason charges against Czech President Vaclav Klaus have been filed in harmony with the wave of people's indignation at Klaus' amnesty pardoning corrupt officials, but in fact it may be critics of his approach to the EU who are settling accounts with him, Russian server pravda.ru writes Tuesday.

The end of Klaus's more than 20-year-lasting political career seems tainted. Klaus, who held the post of president for ten years, of prime minister for five years and of Chamber of Deputies chairman for four years, evidently expected to leave holding his head high, the server's commentator writes.

As positive aspects of Klaus's performance he points out "the model example of reforms securing the country's switch from socialism to capitalism," "a peaceful and civilised divorce with Slovakia," and the fact that on the international scene Klaus's voice sounded louder than what would correspond to the president of a small country with 10 million inhabitants."

Klaus's opponents have paid no regard to his merits, however, pravda.ru continues, alluding to the impeachment of Klaus for high treason that mainly leftist senators pushed through on Monday.

It admits that the whole affair was triggered by the amnesty Klaus declared now that the economic crisis is raging along with corruption scandals involving former ministers and prime ministers. The amnesty provoked people's indignation and enabled the senators to deal a "farewell blow" to Klaus, whose presidential mandate ends on March 7, pravda.ru writes.

However, the charges include a point that goes beyond the domestic settling of accounts. Klaus is reproached for having refused to sign an addendum to the Lisbon Treaty, related to the European rescue mechanism. However, it is disputable whether he was really obliged to sign it in view of the fact that Prague is not a euro zone member and it would have to pay for the Spanish and Greeks whose living standard is not lower than the Czechs', the server says.

The question arises of whether it is an intention, not sheer coincidence, that high treason charges are being aimed against the man who has not been afraid to go counter to the 'mainstream line' in the EU in the past years, the server continues.

As an example it gives Klaus's ardent reluctance, as the only of the European presidents and prime ministers, to add his signature to the EU's basic document, the Lisbon Treaty, in 2009.

It is quite possible that the EU may have incited the Czech pro-EU senators to deal a blow to Klaus. After all, always in the past it was usual to punish those who did not swim together with the crowd. The EU is no exception in this respect, pravda.ru writes.

The European practice tends to level even more accusations against former leaders than the present ones. Helmut Kohl, Jacques Chirac, Silvio Berlusconi... Now the group of pensioners under investigation may be joined by Vaclav Klaus, the server says.

A similar suspicion was voiced by the Russian radio and TV station Golos Rossii Tuesday.

The charges against Klaus mainly lean on his very disputable amnesty, but Klaus is "an extraordinary president" who raised displeasure of a large part of the Czech political scene even before declaring the amnesty, the station writes on its website.

It points to Klaus being a staunch eurosceptic criticising all EU integration projects.

Klaus also showed his unique character during the Russian-Georgian war in August 2008, when he criticised the fashionable wave of judgements about the "good Georgia and bad Russia." With his approach, Klaus was an exception among the EU countries' leaders, Golos Rossii writes.

However, Klaus's euroscepticism would not be enough for bringing charges against him, therefore the charges mainly cite his amnesty that is controversial at the most. His amnesty decision can hardly be described as brilliant, and the public's reaction to it is quite understandable. But does it amount to high treason? Golos Rossii asks.

Klaus's opponents seem to base their action on the public opinion rather than legal arguments, it continues.

It seems that the task of Klaus's opponents in the Senate was to harm his reputation so that his name is tied with the suspicion of treason at least. The emotions linked to the amnesty would subside after some time, but for Klaus as a citizen it would be far more difficult to criticise his ideological opponents among politicians, the station adds.