Prague/Brussels, Dec 7 (CTK) – The debates on filling ambassadorial posts are to be held by the countries concerned, not publicly, Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said yesterday in reaction to President Milos Zeman’s statement that he still believes Jindrich Forejt will become ambassador to the Vatican.
Forejt, 39, resigned as head of the Presidential Office’s protocol department on Tuesday for personal and health reasons.
Zaoralek would not talk about any names with Czech journalists in Brussels, where he is attending a meeting of NATO foreign ministers yesterday.
He said a candidate for the post of ambassador must fulfil a number of conditions and criteria.
Zaoralek said he assesses the “profile, behaviour and preconditions” when deciding on whether the candidate concerned can be ambassador.
The receiving country also has its own conditions and demands and only if the two sides come to an agreement, it is possible to announce the name publicly.
Zaoralek said the Czech Republic can never “force” its candidate on the other country.
“It is my personal wish that he (Forejt) become ambassador to the Vatican, where the last but one government approved him already, because he did much useful work,” Zeman said yesterday.
Zaoralek refused to assess whether Forejt worked well at Prague Castle, or not.
“This is something that the president can assess. It is work which he (Forejt) did for him and I have nothing to do with it,” he said.
Forejt has been one of Zeman’s close collaborators. He went under criticism of late because of several mistakes he did in his post.
Some media wrote on Monday that Forejt allegedly features in a compromising video. It has not been possible to verify the authenticity of the material.
