Prague, Jan 24 (CTK) – Czech President Milos Zeman has a draft inter-state treaty according to which children with Czech citizenship would be handed to their parents in Norway, he said on the Prima commercial television yesterday.
He said the treaty is to help the cases where children with Czech citizenship are taken away from their parents by the Norwegian social service Barnevernet.
Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said he cannot imagine how Zeman´s proposal could help since the negotiating of an international treaty in complicated cases takes minimally several years.
In a press release, he said he does not know any draft Czech-Norwegian treaty. Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek reacted similarly.
Zeman said he acts on the principle of a “creative perception” of the constitution according to which the president can negotiate international treaties, not only ratify them.
Zeman said the draft treaty “would not interfere in the Norwegian Kingdom’s internal affairs, but on the other hand, it should protect Czech citizens irrespective of their age.”
He said he owes the draft to one political party and that he wants to first discuss it with Czech bodies.
Zeman said “more drastic measures” must be taken in relation to Norway and its social service over the cases of children with Czech citizenship being taken away from their parents.
“Where force does not help, even greater force must be applied,” Zeman quoted a north Moravian proverb as saying.
Zeman found inspiration for the draft Czech-Norwegian treaty in a letter that he received from MEP Petr Mach (Free Citizens Party, SSO) at the beginning of the week, presidential spokesman Jiri Ovcacek told CTK.
In the letter, Mach asks Zeman to start himself the negotiating of the treaty on the basis of his presidential power or to devolve it on the Foreign Ministry which he informed of the possibility of negotiating such a treaty in a separate letter.
Zeman said on Prima he would also like to address Norway with calls approved by the two houses of Czech parliament that would inform the country that the Czech Republic will use all legal instruments to protect its citizens.
He said the government can also turn to U.N. human rights agencies, the European Parliament and the Council of Europe.
Zeman said the assistance the Czech government offers to the parents of the children taken away from them in Norway is insufficient. The government maximally considers joining the proceedings at the European Human Rights Court as an enjoined party.
Zeman said he will probably speak with Zaoralek about recalling the Czech ambassador to Norway for consultations.
Two cases of Barvernet having taken children with Czech citizenship from their biological parents have ben publicised.
The Michalak brothers were taken away from their Czech mother Eva Michalakova on suspicion of abuse and neglect in May 2011.
Most recently, the case of a nine-month old girl having been removed from her Czech mother and Norwegian father a couple of weeks ago has been in the limelight.
Lawmaker Jitka Chalankova (opposition TOP 09), who focuses on the isee, says there are three similar cases involving Czech children in Norway.
Children have also been taken away from a Slovak mother and a Romanian family.
Protests against Barnevernet were held in Prague and other European cities a week ago and further are to be held, in a total of 29 countries according to Chalankova.
Weekly Tyden wrote in its Monday´s issue about another case of a child taken away from its parents by Bernevertnet, but returned to them after demanding negotiations last summer.
One of the parents is a Czech, the other a foreigner, Zdenek Kapitan, director of the Office for International Legal Protection of Children, told Tyden without elaborating.
He only said an agreement on the care of the child was signed with the parents and it is being monitored.
“Barnevernet was very accommodating,” Kapitan said.
