Czech PM to speak at G20

Outgoing Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek will become the first Czech politician to speak at a G20 summit when on Thursday in London he addresses leaders of the world’s strongest economies. The prime minister is to speak on behalf of the Czech EU presidency, a week after he strongly criticised the US administration’s plans on tackling the continuing economic crisis. In his earlier speech in Strasbourg, Mr Topolánek made headlines by calling a stimulus package by US President Barack Obama’s administration “a way to hell”. The Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg later downplayed the prime minister’s comments, saying they were not intended against the US but were part of the European debate on the crisis.