No let-up until US grants visa-free travel, says Schwarzenberg

The Czech Republic and several other former communist states should keep pushing for visa-free travel to the United States until they have it "in black and white", the Czech foreign minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, said in Germany's Bremen on Saturday. Mr Schwarzenberg organised a discussion with colleagues from Slovenia, Poland, Hungary, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia on the sidelines of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in the city. Afterwards the eastern European foreign ministers issued a statement praising the steps taken so far by Washington to broaden its visa-waiver programme.

Meanwhile, Canada is this month to begin considering whether to allow Czechs visa-free entrance, according to Prague's Canadian Embassy. A spokesperson said Canada would weigh a number of factors, including number of rejected visa applications, security in the Czech Republic and the country's observance of human rights.

Author: Ian Willoughby