Prime Minister calls on education minister to distance himself from ministry official’s insults

Prime Minister Petr Nečas has called on the Education Minister, Josef Dobeš, to distance himself from the statements made by his ultra-conservative advisor and HR chief Ladislav Bátora. The prime minister added that it was simply unacceptable that a conflict over the insults by Mr. Bátora would get in the way of cabinet sessions. Mr. Nečas is planning to address the situation with Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg when he returns from his holiday at the end of the month. Mr. Schwarzenberg had become the target of Mr. Bátora’s insults following his colloquially-phrased criticism that he was inappropriate for his position. In response, Mr. Bátora called him a “poor little old man.” Due to the dispute, cabinet members of the TOP 09 party, of which Mr. Schwarzenberg is the chairman, walked out of a Wednesday meeting of the government and threatened to leave the coalition altogether unless the Education Ministry rebukes Mr. Bátora and dismisses him from his post.