President criticizes outcome of government negotiations

An agreement by the country's ruling coalition parties to try and diffuse an on-going government crisis has been criticised by president Vaclav Klaus, who says the agreement reached does not go far enough. Mr Klaus had called for greater guarantees by the government to ensure stability for the rest of its term, but called its current steps "half-hearted", only postponing the problem. In the president's view the coalition will remain on the brink of breaking up for several weeks. The government crisis erupted last month when a major Czech daily questioned the financing behind Prime Minister Stanislav Gross' luxury flat. Business dealings by the prime minister's wife have also come under scrutiny.

Author: Jan Velinger