BRATISLAVA, June 27, (WEBNOVINY) – On visit to the Slovak Republic, Czech President Vaclav Klaus stated that a loan is not the appropriate help Greece needs. Following a meeting with the Slovak head of state Ivan Gasparovic, Klaus told reporters that the last year’s 110-billion-euro bailout package to Greece can not be repaid in three years as planned. “If a student told me in the role a professor of finance during an exam that it is possible to repay it, I would not give him/her the credit or I would not let him/her pass the exam,” Klaus stated. The Czech president pointed out that likewise the UK and Sweden, neither the Czech Republic let itself be dragged into „this mess” at the latest talks in Brussels. He admitted that his country, which is not a member of the euro club, can decide more freely on this issue than its neighbor.
The Slovak president presented a similar view on the Greek bailout but he stressed that he agrees with the concept submitted by the Iveta Radicova Cabinet and the Finance Ministry. However, he is skeptical of Greece’s capabilities to meet the conditions set by the 27-nation bloc. “We somewhat base our attitude on the EU’s position, namely a certain degree of solidarity but it also has some limit and there is an important question whether those expected to show solidarity should help those who play a hazardous game if they themselves have little and act decently,” the president remarked.
Klaus is convinced that those responsible for the Greek troubles should participate in the solutions. “In this context I, paradoxically, am not the one that would blame Greece,” he said. He is convinced that not Greece but those that admitted the country to the euro area have caused the present situation. “It takes two to tango,” Klaus continued. “But sometimes, there is a third one that plays,” Gasparovic joined in.
As for the present condition of the Czech government, Klaus thinks that to call it a crisis would be improper. He admitted persisting troubles and tension in the Cabinet. The Czech president opines that every country led by a coalition has experienced difficulties including Slovakia. “If it is not the opposition that is cooking up something, then the evil occurs inside [the coalition],” Klaus observed. The present state in the Czech Republic is only an episode, in his words, which will “unfortunately be certainly repeated.” Being asked about his opinion on direct presidential elections, Klaus offered a diplomatic answer: “Since I am in Slovakia, where the president is elected directly, I would be impolite if I said that the direct ballot is a mistake, which is why I have to keep mum.”
The Czech president is visiting Slovakia after two years but he often meets with his Slovak counterpart at various international forums. After the talks the presidents confirmed above-standard ties between their countries. Gasparovic remarked that many neighboring countries could envy them. The two politicians debated cooperation in many fields and found joint interests in nuclear energy. Following the nuclear accident in Japan, Klaus and Gasparovic support intensifying research in this field. The Czech president praised that none of the two countries has taken populist moves in nuclear energy. Klaus expressed unambiguous support and understanding for Slovakia in relation to the incumbent Hungarian government. Klaus is also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Iveta Radicova and Parliament Speaker Richard Sulik.
SITA