Press Conferences

20. 9. 200610:15

Press conference of the Prime Minister of the CR, Mirek Topolánek, after the government’s session on Wednesday, 20 September 2006

Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the CR: I think we will not wait at this moment for Ivan Langer – I open now the press conference after the government’s session. To begin with, I will mention a few issues you might be interested in – the government and all ministers have received today the government’s statement of policy, its first version. They will make comments on this version by Friday evening, 19.00 o’clock, and the government will undoubtedly close the statement at its Monday session at Koloděje, and we will be able to communicate the government’s statement of policy in the version that will be submitted to a vote by the Chamber of Deputies. Other issues you will undoubtedly be interested in concern the two documents submitted by Minister Vicenová and considered and approved by the government. The first issue concerns the solution of the situation related with avian influenza, i.e. expended financial resources and the compensation of the damage suffered by breeders and, of course, egg producers. This may help compensate a certain part of the loss suffered during the preceding period. The second interesting document, which I think the minister should introduce herself, concerns the government’s decision to proceed in the future in the production of bio fuels in accordance with variant No. 2, which is the variant that was, by the way, also recommended by former minister Mládek, i.e. without subsidies. I will later give the floor to Ivan Langer, who will introduce issues of E-government, in which we charged him with a number of tasks related with the Ministry of Informatics, not only with the split-off or cancellation of this ministry, but also with the enlargement of this ministry’s agenda, then information about the removal of Mr. Randák, head of the Office for Foreign Relations and Information. I think that very interesting information will be brought to you by Petr Nečas in the pension area. Now, if I may preside over the press conference myself, I would now give the floor to Minister Vicenová.

Milena Vicenová, Minister of Agriculture: Thank you Mr. Prime Minister. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to inform you that the government approved financial support for our poultry producers, our breeders. I must say that during the spring wave of avian influenza, our producers deserve best marks, consumption registered a relatively low decrease, and our consumers showed high confidence in the products of our poultry industry. However, the branch was affected by massive imports from foreign countries, and I am very glad that the government quickly approved a proposal, which allows for subsidies, 50% from European funds and 50% from national funds. We only have short time to make use of these funds, and we do not want to disrupt the competitive abilities of our producers. Hence, a very good news for our breeders. As far as bio fuels or the bio fuels programme is concerned, I think that this will be very pleasant news for the population of this republic. I am convinced that the solution, which was approved by the government, is truly the most advantageous one in terms of economics. Anyway, the resources that should be devoted to support the introduction of bio fuels, these resources are being, in the most transparent, clear and economical way, transferred immediately into the products. It will bring about a very slight increase of fuel prices. The increase is estimated to be of the order of 10 to approximately 40 hellers. All other solutions would always be more demanding in terms of the taxpayers‘ pocket and, what is most important, would provide room for corruption. And a clear, lucid and transparent effect was one of the main arguments.

Miirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the CT: Thank you. I have forgotten to welcome at today’s press conference Minister Šedivý, to whom I now give the floor because he also has good news to bring.

Jiří Šedivý, Minister of Defence: Thank you Mr. Prime Minister. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, at today’s session, the government decided to turn back to the budget of the Ministry of Defence almost 600 million Czech crowns, for the budget of the next year, and the reason behind it is our effort to launch an armament project, thanks to which we will get middle-weight trucks Tatra. I also informed my colleagues that we now have the results of the price audit. The results are highly positive so that nothing stands in the way to enter into negotiations with Tatra a.s. Kopřivnice on the contract. We will also try to find certain possibilities of price adjustments, and at the same time we will be interested to know the share of Czech manufacturers in these products, and I must say that this is a good news not only for the Ministry of Defence, but also for the Tatra company and, in fact, for the region concerned.

Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the CR: Thank you, I would now give the floor to Ivan Langer.

Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Informatics: I wish you a good afternoon. As a follow-up of the government resolution No. 1060 on the coordination of the activities of intelligence services in evaluating information of importance for the security of the CR with special attention to the fight against terrorism, and on the basis of the task I was charged with, I submitted today to the government a document, which was approved as follows. The government agreed to recall major-general Karel Randák from the position of the director of the Office for Foreign Relations and Information as of today. And, the government also approved the appointment of Mgr. Jiří Lang to the position of the director of the Office for Foreign Relations and Information, effective tomorrow. At the same time, the government asked the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defence and the Minister of the Interior to take up in the State Security Council the continued transformation of the intelligence services in the Czech Republic, and submit to the Council a specific, concrete proposal of the set-up of the intelligence services in the Czech Republic by 31 October of this year. The reasons behind this measure are as follows – first of all, it is an endeavour to complete the ongoing transformation of the intelligence services in the Czech Republic, to find an optimum shape of the institutional fight against terrorism, and to reach a stage at which there will be no intelligence service in the Czech Republic that would not be subject to the parliamentary, and this means, public control. And here I can tell you that it has been the very Office for Foreign Relations and Information, which has been the only intelligence service in our country, which has not been subject to parliamentary control. Another ambition related to the task for the above mentioned ministers and the Prime Minister, consists in an effort to achieve a more economical and purposeful use of the funds as well as human resources, and to achieve a situation under which the Czech Republic will really have an overall security protection, including high-quality and functioning intelligence services during the fortcoming presidency of the European Union. As Minister of the Interior, I must mention here that ministers of the interior usually turn to the government with an ambition to get more power, but here the contrary is true. If it is decided, for example, that the Office for Foreign Relations and Information will get out of the area of competencies of the Minister of the Interior, I will only be glad that I will have less power of this kind.

Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the CR: How surprising.

Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Informatics: May I also introduce the E-goverment issue? The second item I would like to inform you about is the item I submitted in the position of the Minister of Informatics. I will not burden you with its working title, I would only call it as I myself call it – E- goverment lives and shall live. And the expected, planned dissolution of the Ministry of Informatics will not change anything, and if it changes something, it would be a change for the better. I proposed to the government to charge me with a number of specific legislative tasks, whose objective should be better, faster and more efficient use of information and communication technologies in the sphere of public administration. As early as by the end of this month, I have to submit a specific proposal on the creation of the so-called „check points“, i.e. on the establishment of a network of offices, through which citizens may communicate with certain, already selected, central authorities and thus obtain the required excerpts from their registers. In other words, in order to obtain, for example, a statement of criminal records, a copy of an entry in the Land Register, in the Trades Register, in the Commercial Register, you will not have to visit all these four offices, you will not have to take a leave to do that, you will not have to bribe the people queuing in front of the Criminal Records Office, you will simply be able to obtain all this in your neighbourhood, at the closest municipal office. Hence, E-goverment lives and will live.

Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the CR: Petr Nečas and a few items he submitted with respect to the pension area for this and the next year.

Petr Nečas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Affairs: Thank you. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to inform you that the government approved today my draft of the statutory rule, on whose basis pensions will be valorised as of the next year. They will be valorised on average by an amount exceeding 6 %, i.e. roughly by CZK 500. I would like to stress that ex lege, obligatory valorisation amounts roughly to CZK 343, which means that the balance of CZK 160 is beyond the range of obligatory valorisation, and the average old-age pension will thus increase from CZK 8190 to CZK 8690. And what is mainly important, we succeeded in reversing the trend which has resulted during the preceding eight years into a dramatic fall of the ratio between the average pension and average gross earnings. In 1998, this ratio represented 46 %, which means that an average old-age pension represented 46 % of average gross earnings. In the preceding year and this year, the ratio came close to only 40 % of average gross earnings. If we only valorised by the ex lege obligatory amount, the ratio would drop below 40 % of average gross earnings. The government’s decision thus marks the discontinuation of this trend, which means that an average old-age pension will now represent 41,2 % of average gross earnings. It should be stressed that this valorisation measure will amount to nearly CZK 17 billion, and that it is fully covered in the proposed state budget, and that it is fully based on the estimated income from pension insurance contributions. I would like to especially stress that the government cares about the standards of living of our pensioners, that the government wishes to see that their standards of living follow those of the overall standards of living in the country, with a view to avoid any increase of the gap between the growth rate of the earnings of economically active strata of the population and of that part of our fellow citizens, who depend on pensions. The government’s decision reverses the past trend, and we are again getting closer to the ratio of at least 42 %, which should exist between the average pension and average gross earnings. Radim Ochvat, Secretary to the Prime Minister of the CR: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, I invite your questions.

Jan Hrbáček, Český rozhlas: I have a question, and I should most probably address it to the Minister of the Interior. Mr. Minister, can you please either disconfirm or confirm the information, which says that in connection with the investigation of the leak of the so-called Kubice report to the mass media, your inspection service taps my phone? I would like to ask whether you have any information about this or, I would like to ask whether you will take certain measures against this highly queer method of finking, because to monitor journalist contacts reminds me of the former StB methods. This is being documented in the report submitted by Ms Vesecká to the former cabinet, in which she suggests that tapping technology was also used in gathering evidence.

Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Informatics: I would like to state beforehand that it is true that in a democratic, legally consistent state, we are all equal as to our rights and obligations, and this holds true for journalists as well as for state officials, and it also holds fully true for policemen, public prosecutors and judges. In this respect, I have always held and will hold the view of an equal yardstick for all, equal rights and equal duties. If there exists a relevant ground for making use in an investigation by the authorities active in criminal proceedings based on the provisions of Article 88 letter a, of the Code of Criminal Procedure, I than assume that this was done on the basis of consultation with the public prosecutor, on the basis of consent of the public prosecutor, and the final decision undoubtedly belongs to the court, which may either refuse or confirm such a proposal. I am not aware of the fact that you are being tapped by my inspection service. Nevertheless, it is true that today I also received information that roughly 20 state officials and journalists might be tapped in connection with the so-called leak of the Kubice report, and that in connection with the leak of the so-called Kubice report tapped may also be certain premises of the Chamber of Deputies and areas in other Prague buildings, and I do not exclude the premises of Český rozhlas, I do not exclude the premises of the Ministry of the Interior and I do not exclude private premises, either. At this moment, I am very sorry, but I cannot say whether it is standard or not standard, it is a very hot information. I must look into it, and if it is true at this moment that you know it, it means that everybody knows it.

Jan Hrbáček, Český rozhlas: This comes from the report by the public prosecutor, in which she unequivocally indicates it.

Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Informatics: Let me finish, please. If it is true that you know it, and now everybody knows it through this press conference, then there are no grounds whatsoever to continue the tapping, if it exists. That would be beyond any logic, and I suppose that it will be discontinued, because everybody knows about it. But I would consider it absurd to let the case end up by expressing a suspicion or by the information about this suspicion, and I will possibly have to insist that all relevant details, including the premises and persons mentioned, will be made public so that all will be clear in this matter.

Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the CR: I will intervene at this point, Mr. redactor, because paradoxically, victims of this finking sit on your side as well as on this side, so that it is in vain that you get sore at the Minister of the Interior. This is of course a „dragon seed“ of the former government, of the former minister of the interior, and I wish to say that Ivan Langer is right in, if you let me finish, please. Thank you. Ivan Langer is of course right that it is within the competencies of a judge, of a public prosecutor, but the fact that this finking concerns a number of journalists and politicians is of course anomalous, and this is why the seventh great power is here to draw attention to this matter. We, of course, may only do what the law allows us to do.

Jan Hrbáček, Český rozhlas: I am only asking because the information gathered by the police may get to a certain other political sector and may be quite intensively used. And this is what I am most afraid of.

Petr Nečas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Affairs: Yes, we may confirm our serious concern that we have to do with a pretext for tapping with respect to the so-called leak of the Kubice report, everybody could read it, and it will hardly be possible to find out how did it leak out. We have to do with a pretext to tap journalists, who are found uncomfortable by the former government and, possibly, to also tap state officials. And, if it is by any chance found out that the list of the tapped state officials is single-coloured, then in my view we evidently have to do here with a way of obtaining pretext for tapping uncomfortable people. Uncomfortable in the eyes of the former government.

Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Informatics: I can at this time promise one thing – in view of the fact that there is nothing to be held secret, we have no choice – if we wish to play fair among us and to play fair with our citizens, - but to publish that list, to publish also the possible range of premises, which were tapped and, based on this open and fair information available to everyone, to take a certain decision. What the decision will be, I really cannot tell you at this moment, because I do not have any additional information. I intend in any case to meet the Minister of Justice and to discuss our future steps with him, and it looks like at this moment that I will not fly to Tampere, but will stay at home in the Czech Republic today and tomorrow with a view to resolve this very serious suspicion of a scandal, which I am afraid has no analogy in the modern history of the Czech Republic.

Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the CR: I would only add that I can document it based on my own case, where the tapping - viewed from the law aspect - was legal, yet in my view unjustified, but no one has ever admitted it. And we proposed legislation, in connection with this tapping and with the interference with the bank secrecy, which would govern the area of tapping and the entire area concerned. Among other proposed measures, with the exception of tapping the accused persons, all tapped materials were to be made available to such person. This draft amendment was then voted out in the Chamber of Deputies by the socialists and communists. I think the time has come to open the matter again, because if your apprehensions will really be confirmed, we have to do here with a really unscrupulous way, in which the former government controls the new government.

Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Informatics: Just a last personal remark. I have repeatedly and unequivocally stated that I am not the person, who is responsible for making the so-called Kubice report public. I repeat it again, explicitly, and in the context with what Prime Minister Topolánek said here, I will want to get answer to the question as to what were the weighty reasons that could lead a police body, be it the inspection service of the minister of the interior or any other body, to ask for tapping the phone of the minister of the interior or the premises he uses. It holds true that I am a citizen and I am equal to other citizens, this is without any doubts. Nevertheless, I will want to be informed of the grounds, and I think that it is in the interests of all citizens of the Czech Republic to get clear information as to whether what you told us here is true or not, and who was involved.

Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the CR: I will now excuse myself to my colleagues – they will answer all your remaining questions. Unfortunately, I have another meeting as of 13.00 o’clock, and I should have been somewhere else already. My colleagues will substitute for me, thank you.

Radek Bartoníček, iDnes.cz press service: Mr. Minister, I would like to ask the Minister of the Interior, where did you get the information. You told us that you had learned about it today; was it from the police, from the inspection service or from unofficial, let us say, quarters. Thank you.

Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Informatics: I learned it from unofficial quarters, from journalist circles. I should add that redactor Hrbáček, who probably left already, was not the source. And it was information, with which I did not intend to do anything with, because I could not ask to verify it without being suspected of interfering in investigation and into the activities of the authorities active in criminal proceedings. But after a clear question from redactor Hrbáček, I answered the question, and at this moment this information became public, and in such a situation what I told you holds true. The only feasible course of action I see is my consultation with the Minister of Justice and, if we are to play fair among us, the only conclusion I can see is to make public the detailed list of the persons being tapped, because now there is no sense to continue tapping them, and to also make public, who gave the instruction, why did he do so, and whether we consider it all normal.

Radim Ochvat, Secretary to the Prime Minister of the CR: Thank you, next question.

Hana Kadečková, Právo daily: With your permission, I would like to get back to pensions. Mr. Minister Nečas, can you tell us whether in connection with the increase of the fixed amount, you differentiate between old pensioners and new pensioners, or what type of more detailed information you can give us. And also, the government’s agenda was supposed to include the proposed increase of sickness benefits, and I would like to know whether you made any decision in this respect. Thank you.

Petr Nečas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Affairs: Yes, I will start from the last issue, the proposal related with sickness benefits was postponed, because here we are not pressed by time. The decision on pensions has to be taken before 30 September. We should have in mind that it is not clear at this moment what the overall system of sickness benefits will look like, because the former government submitted a draft on certain adjustment for consideration by the Chamber of Deputies. The draft went through the first reading, and it is not clear what will be the result of its second reading, what amendments will be proposed or whether the bill as a whole would be postponed, because the fact that even the former government, which literally rolled this bill during the last days of its electoral term, acknowledges the bill‘s inherent problems and several weeks later the former government itself proposed an amendment to the law, all this means that the law as such may conceal a number of problems. In other words, we will wait till the situation gets more clarified as to what will the system of sickness benefits look like, and I can only reiterate here the standpoint of the present government, of which I also advised the Chamber of Deputies that, in our view, because of the disputableness of these steps and, above all, in view of the impact on the sector of small and medium enterprises, it would be best to postpone the validity and effect of this law by one year, and to undertake a legislative analysis with a view to eliminate possible shortcomings. As far as pensions are concerned, of course there is a differentiation between the two categories of pensioners, between the so-called old pensioners and new pensioners, in other words persons, who retired under the law of 1995. The degree of valorisation differs in favour of old pensioners, because we are really convinced that persons of an older pension age should not suffer within the pension system. We consider it to be a step in the right direction. An increase was also approved in the basic pension entitlement, which currently amounts to CZK 1470, and will be increased by 6,8 %, i.e. by CZK 100 to amount to CZK 1570. The last point I wish to make in this connection is that also increased was the special supplement paid to the victims of totalitarian regimes, i.e. both to the victims of the Nazi regime as well as to political prisoners of the communist regime. This supplement was also valorised by 6,1 %.

Radim Ochvat, Secretary to the Prime Minister of the CR: Thank you, and now Mr. Kopecký, Mladá fronta.

Josef Kopecký, MfD: Good afternoon, in connection with the preparation of the government’s statement of policy, I wanted to ask if the statement will be based in some way on the former three-member coalition agreement or how will it be altered. Also, if you can tell us whether you have an idea if it is at all possible for this government to pass the vote of confidence in the Chamber of Deputies, and how do you conceive it. And third, how much weight do you attach to the idea that, if the government gets 100 votes for and 100 votes against, you would not demise as recently hinted by Mr. Topolánek.

Petr Nečas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Affairs: I will again begin with your last question. The Prime Minister’s pronouncement was taken out of context. I would like to very much stress that in many respects we are facing since the last year’s elections a new constitutional situation, let us just recall the steps related with the former government, which stuck to their position for long months without demision, the discussions as to whether they could or could not demise and whether a possible new government would be considered as a first attempt to form the government if it took up work prior to the conclusion of the session of the Chamber of Deputies. For every situation there were two or three constitutional interpretations, in other words this is one of the possible hypotheses. By the way, a hypothesis to which I am not inclined because, as it is well known, with respect to legal opinions, it happens sometimes that two lawyers advance three legal opinions. Therefore, we have to take into account that there is a number of feasible hypotheses and possible legal interpretations, and let us indeed take into account that governments are in fact being formed on the basis of the Constitution of the Czech Republic only since 1996. In other words, when we are faced with new situations, we lack clear legal interpretations. After this Constitution and government formation mechanisms will have function here for 40 years as is the case in developed democracies, we will obviously find ourselves under a quite different situation. As far as the government’s statement of policy is concerned – we have completed under my coordination the formulation of the basic version of the policy statement. I can confirm that the statement of policy concurs with the programme chapter of the three-member coalition agreement. It contains all key passages, all key political commitments, which are contained in the programme chapter of the three-member coalition agreement. With the awareness, of course, of the fact that this government itself declared that its programme includes early elections, in other words entails this time limit. I can also confirm that this statement of policy is, of course, also based on the standpoints of individual ministries, but its basic structure and skeleton ensue from the programme chapter of the three-member coalition agreement, and includes all key passages, key sentences and key political promises. We intend to work with this fresh, open version of the government’s statement of policy, to discuss it with political partners across the democratic political spectrum, and we are prepared to lead these discussions over an open text, to discuss its specific parts and endeavour to find maximum possible support in the Chamber of Deputies with the aim of achieving a vote of confidence for this government.

Radim Ochvat, Secretary to the Prime Minister of the CR: Thank you, next question, please. Mr. Takáč, Czech Television.

Daniel Takáč, ČT: Good afternoon, I would like to ask the minister about an issue which concerns Kraslice. It will happen or could happen there that the polling station for municipal elections will be located in a building of a certain private company, and the owner of this company stands on the election ticket and, coincidentally, is also the chairman of the local ODS (Civic Democratic Party). What do you think as Minister of the Interior of the fact that the polling station will be located in such a building, this will be my first question. And, second, I would like to ask the Minister of Defence to specify in more detail the purchase of Tatra trucks for the army, how many trucks will be purchased and whether the entire amount of CZK 600 million will be spent on this purchase. Thank you.

Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Informatics: I thank you for your question and apologise that at this moment I am unable to give you any authentic and substantiated response to your question. At this moment, I am unable, quite frankly, to pass a judgment whether or not the decision concurs with the law. In any case, even if it were in accordance with the law, the situation may give rise to various perceptions, various suspicions as to the fairness of such elections, and I myself, if I were citizen of Kraslice or owner of that firm, I would clearly not recommend to proceed in this way. Not because I would like to do something like that, not at all, you know me, and you know that I would not do anything like that, but because it might give rise to suspicions about improper influence on the course of such elections.

Daniel Takáč, ČT: Will you eventually interfere is some way?

Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Informatics: I will ask you to give me some more time so that I could contact Mr. Henych, senior director of the section of the Ministry of the Interior, which is in charge of elections. I will ask him to inform me about this matter, and then please contact my PR department. Thank you.

Jiří Šedivý, Minister of Defence: Our project envisages the purchase of 555 vehicles. I should just mention in passing that the former government started at about one thousand. I think that we will not make any more reduction of the number of vehicles I mentioned, because it precisely meets our needs both for the missions and for cases of possible domestic catastrophes or natural disasters. Now to the amount of almost 680 million. This is just for the forthcoming year of 2007. For 2008, the amount will slightly exceed CZK 1 billion and the same amount is anticipated for 2009. After that, the project will run for another year or two, so that its total cost may reach some CZK 4 billion. Nevertheless, we will endeavour of course to continue negotiations about the price. Hence, it is of great importance for us at this time that we will be able to discuss the beginning of the project as early as in the next year, which in the concepts I inherited, the concepts that were to face up to major budget cuts, assumed that the project would be postponed beyond 2009. I think therefore that this is a substantial progress.

Petr Nečas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Affairs: I would like to add and stress for the public that the former government decided about several gigantic projects of the order of CZK 20 billion at least in two cases, without even getting closer to support a Czech firm and one of the key Czech companies. As you can see, we took a different approach, which means that we do not agree with the postponement beyond 2009, we do not see any reason for it in a situation under which packages of CZK 20 billion are received now by the British, then by the Swedish or the Austrian armament companies, why similar order could not finally be received also by a major important Czech company.

Radim Ochvat, Secretary to the Prime Minister of the CR: Thank you, next question.

Redactor Martenová, Television Prima: Mr. Langer, I have a question for you. It concerns the alleged lack of policemen in northern Bohemia, and more specifically in the region of Česká Lípa. What do you intend to do with it? I would also be interested to know, whether the policemen and soldiers should not work under even conditions? Then, I would also like to ask you to tell us the reasons for recalling the head of that intelligence service. And a brief question for Mr. Nečas, I would be interested to know whether the money for pensions will be drawn from the budget or, whether there will be certain cuts in some ministerial budgets. Thank you.

Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Informatics: Three questions for me. The lack of policemen – yes, I am aware of the problem. The situation is serious, not only there, but also in other regions of the Czech Republic. At this moment, there are policemen in certain regions of the Czech Republic, who have to attend monthly to 20, 22, 25 cases, while a policeman in another region of the Czech Republic has only 8 – 10 cases a month, but the salaries of these two policemen are practically the same. Our objective in accordance with the entry into force of the new public service act is to change this situation by means of a new systematisation of service positions with a view to enable in the future a certain flexibility in responding to the security situation in different corners of the Czech Republic so that we could avoid paradoxical situations where one policeman is very busy and another policeman had nothing to do, but their salaries are the same. At the same time, we discussed with the Police Commissioner a proposal on manning the police service vacancies, and he was entrusted with a task to launch a relatively massive campaign aimed to manning these service vacancies. This is a concrete prospect. The situation cannot be changed overnight, but we have a well-considered strategy for its solution by 1 January 2007. About the alignment of the conditions of the policemen and soldiers – I think that once the former minister of defence, the present minister of defence and I, all of us are here, we would tell you that we would all very much wish to have it like that. Nevertheless, at this moment the situation of the state budget is as you know it is. However, I think that the new public service law will bring about fundamental changes, both for the police and for citizens. It is a law, which brings rights and obligations; on the one hand, it guarantees good remuneration for good work and, at the same time, it guarantees an immediate and uncompromising punishment in the case of failure. And I believe that the law will mark a new stage in the history of the Police of the Czech Republic. And now, about the grounds of the removal. I have tried to explain them, and they also relate with the task with which the government charged the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defence and the Minister of the Interior, and the task is to complete the transformation of intelligence services in the Czech Republic, without prejudice to its ultimate form. I will have to thank general Randák for his work; I have spoken with him about the situation, and I would be glad that we avoid what used to happen in the past under other governments, that persons, who had served the republic, found themselves figuratively speaking in the street, and the government concerned failed to offer them an adequate and serious opportunity for their future work.

Petr Nečas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Affairs: Let me now come back to the pensions. I would like to stress that the proposed valorisation is fully within the expected collection of contributions and expenditures of pension insurance. So far, all estimates by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs indicate that the estimated collection of pension contributions will amount in the next year to some CZK 283 billion, and expenditures, including the present valorisation will call for CZK 281 billion, which means that we will be able to fit in this framework, and there will be no need to deepen - in inverted commas - the state budget deficit. But I wish to stress that the so-called surpluses of the pension account, which amounted for the years of 2005 and 2004 to a cumulative amount of roughly CZK 14 billion, were achieved thanks to the low valorisation of pensions and thanks to the fact that the average growth rate of pensions was below that of wages. In other words, the gap between the economically active strata of the population and the pensioners tended to increase. We do not intend to continue like this. And I would also like to stress what has been mentioned in the previous question, that is that we are fully aware of the difference between the situation of the pensioners, who retired prior to 31 December 1995 under the old pension law, and after that date. Yes, the rate of valorisation differs and will also differ in the future. In the case of the so-called old pensioners the proposal anticipates 6.6 %, while in the case of new pensioners it is 5.6 %. As a result, the average difference between these two categories of pensioners drops at this moment to CZK 278.

Radim Ochvat, Secretary of the Prime Minister of the CR: Thank you, next question.

Jitka Götzová, daily Právo: A question is addressed to Mr. Langer. When you spoke of Mr. Randák, you said that you thanked him for his work; does it mean that you have an idea of what he can possibly do in the future? He was decorated not so long ago, and promoted by the President. And, do you decline the speculations which appeared in the mass media, that he was removed because of his inclination to social democracy? Thank you.

Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Informatics: I met the general this morning, because I had to fulfil the task I had been charged with during the recent few days and this morning I went with him to the government meeting, where I acquainted him with it and asked him for maximum possible degree of cooperation, and I also of course thanked him for what he has done in his position. And, if I were to decide not to thank him, I would not offer him what I told you that I offered, i.e. a possibility of further service for the Czech Republic in a position that will be both feasible and acceptable for him.

Jitka Götzová, daily Právo: And, what position will it be?

Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Informatics: At this moment it depends on him. I apologise, and ask for understanding, for the whole day I have been sitting at the government session. I have asked him to give me specific proposals about what he could do, and at this moment I can repeat here what I had told him - that I will do maximum with a view to having these proposals accepted, and that I cannot accept a principle, according to which persons, who served this country at the moment of the completion of their mission, ended up in a undignified way, because this would be a very bad signal for all others, who would doubt whether there is at all any sense in being a loyal civil servant. Let us recall the recent case where the government removed a director of an intelligence service, who finally ended up at the Employment Office.

Petr Nečas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Affairs: Or as an employee of a casino.

Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior and Minster of Informatics: Or as an employee of a casino.

Jitka Götzová, daily Právo: And what about the social democrats?

Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Informatics: From my point of view, I can unequivocally deny these allegations.

Daniel Takáč, ČT: If I can follow up for a while, why was it not possible to work with Mr. Randák on the transformation you have in mind. This is one issue, and the second issue – you told us that the Office for Foreign Relations and Information will be headed by Mr. Lang. If he is the same Mr. Lang, who is from BIS (Czech Security Information Service), does it mean that in fact you already merge the two intelligence services?

Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Informatics: Let me first answer the second question – this decision is not the final decision on the structure of intelligence services in the Czech Republic, no matter how much it may look like it, because it is still needed to tune up the basic thesis, whether to make the cut horizontally – offensive intelligence service and counter-intelligence service – or vertically – military intelligence service and civilian intelligence service. This is the task, which the government faces now. And at this moment, the above decision follows up on the decision of the past week, that is the government decision on the coordination of the activities of intelligence services with a view to more efficient fight against terrorism, and the government thought that this personal union, and I add here a temporary union, would be the optimum.

Radim Ochvat, Secretary to the Prime Minister of the CR: Thank you, next question.

Radek Bartoníček, iDnes.cz press service: Here is my last question. Mr. Minister, I might have overheard. I have the feeling that you have not responded to the question concerning Mr. Randák. It seems to me a little illogical that you say, perhaps in other words – he was excellent, brilliant etc., but you did not offer him anything, you just told him that he should come and say what does he want to do. This is somewhat unusual, don’t you feel? Thank you.

Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Informatics: I apologise, but the then two of us have quite different feelings. My discussion with general Randák was a highly matter-of-fact discussion, a correct discussion and I told him the same words I told you here. He is a man, who had a certain position and he in this sense is the one to take the first initiative. This does not mean that I give up the offer and that I deny what I said. I really ask you not to speculate about it. It was not any different.

Radim Ochvat, Secretary of the Prime Minister of the CR ČR: Thank you, next question. Mr. Takáč.

Daniel Takáč, ČT: Again a question for Minister Langer. Mr. Minister, do you agree with the tapping of which you already spoke here, with the tapping of politicians and journalists. Will you recall Mr. Husák?

Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior and Minister of Informatics: So once again. First, we are all equal as to our rights and obligations, and the only fact that someone is a journalist, member of government, deputy, does not mean that he should have certain exclusivity at a moment when bodies active in criminal proceedings suspect him of committing a criminal delict. No exceptions. Second, I have clearly stated that my task in the position of the minister of the interior is to guarantee to the police proper working conditions and really guarantee independence of their investigation. I do not change anything in this statement. Third, once the information was made public here – and it was not me, who made it public - that certain journalists may be tapped in connection with the so-called leak of the Kubice report, I consider it logical to wish that such information is either confirmed or denied, so that the public would be clearly informed as to how the things are. Further, I add that if the action was taken on the basis of the complaint by Jiří Paroubek, ČSSD (Czech Social Democratic Party), the decision on further action was made by the inspection service of the Ministry of the Interior under the minister from ČSSD, I consider it to be logical – with a view to prevent any speculations as to who and why took the decision – to make public the list of persons, who were being tapped, because now there is no sense to continue their tapping, and to make public the premises that could have been tapped. Only if we play fair with each other, only if we get a clear answer to the question as to how all this occurred, shall we be able to counter the speculations as to whether it was politically motivated or whether it was a standard process. At this moment, I can guarantee one thing - if the police proceeded in accordance with the law, I will not have any reason to hold them liable at all. And this is in fact also my answer to your queustion about Mr. Husák - based on what I know now, I have not the slightest ground to hold him liable.

Petr Nečas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour Social Affairs: In other words, the Czech public deserves an unequivocal answer as to whether this is or is not a certain Czech variant of Watergate, or perhaps we could call it Kubicegate.

Radim Ochvat, Secretary to the Prime Minister of the CR: Thank you, next question. As there are no more questions, I thank you again.