Press Conferences

23. 11. 200611:34

Press briefing of Prime Minister and Chairman of the ODS, Mirek Topolánek after negotiations of the ODS and the Green Party on 23th November 2006

Radim Ochvat, secretary of the Prime Minister: Ladies and gentlemen, good morning, welcome to the Kramář´s Villa after the negotiation of the ODS and the Green Party. Let me give the floor to the Chairman of the ODS, Mirek Topolánek.

Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the CR and the Chairman of the ODS: Just as an introduction, we started a series of three negotiations at nine o'clock, which will be finished by the negotiation with social democrats; the aim is to find a solution, which would respect the will of majority of parties and above all, the will of citizens of the CR. Now I give the floor to Martin Bursík so that he could inform you on what we have agreed in that one hour and a quarter.

Martin Bursík, Chairman of the Green Party: Good morning, thank you. We have analysed the situation and we are of the opinion that it is reasonable to try to find an agreement of the highest possible number of our political partners regarding one project that we would be working on. There occurred speculations on several possible variant and you as journalists had to analyse and tried to orientate yourselves in various scenarios and variants. It is thing that does not lead to the concentration of an effort into one possible result. We were talking about an attempt of starting negotiations on the four-coalition government, which would be conditioned by limited governance up to the early elections. It means that we will ask our political partners to joint us. The Prime Minister is the principal initiator of the agreement on early elections; we regard the turn of spring and summer of 2008 as the limit for early elections and we will invite the KDU-ČSL and the Social Democracy to this project. Immediately after that we will start negotiations on the programme and on the one or one-and-a-half-year-programme of such a government, and we will see. This is our today's agreement. Of course, we wonder what the negotiations with the KDU-ČSL will turn out today, what the response of the Social Democracy will be, but we suppose that this is possible solution of the situation and that the situation deserves the agreement of all political partners, democratic partners on pulling-out that waggon from deep mud and on taking necessary measure aimed at modernization of our economy, transport, energy industry and the entire society and at achievement of early elections in this country.

Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the CR and the Chairman of the ODS: I would say it in a more simply way. We agreed on early lections – May, June 2008. We agreed that in the optimal case we will work on the project of cooperation of four parties, which would lead this country to early elections in May, in June 2008. I think that further negotiations will show if it is realistic. On Monday I am going to the President to report on these negotiations and consequently we would start meeting of chairmen of these four political parties, which would be followed by meetings of programme commissions, so that we would find concrete enforcement of laws, which we would manage to enforce in that one year and a half on the basis of the modified three-coalition project and the agreement with the Social Democracy, which is nearly concluded.

Radim Ochvat, secretary of the Prime Minister: Your questions, please.

Naďa Adamičková, Právo daily: What if the Social Democracy does not accede to the early elections, because Mr. Paroubek declared that he could hardly imagine such ... inarticulate ...

Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the CR and The Chairman of the ODS: Jiří Paroubek declared various statements in last weeks; nevertheless, his last statement and our last negotiation yesterday, give a chance that the four-coalition project with the date 2008 could be accepted by him. This is a question of that programme agreement and it is a question of the next week.

Naďa Adamičková, Právo daily: Just to add information. Would you appoint experts or your members to such a government?

Martin Bursík, Chairman of the Green Party: We have mentioned the experts because we wanted to underline the temporary character of such a government. The temporary character of the government will be given by the exact date included in the coalition agreement, by the date of end of term of office and concurrently a mechanism of termination of the term of office of the government would be determined. As to the appointment of our representatives to the government, it will depend on the attitudes of our political partners, it will have to be balanced.

Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the CR and the Chairman of the ODS: I would like to assure the journalist that I, as the Prime Minister will invite only professionals to the government, and the fact whether they will have party membership cards or not, it is not very significant; it is similar as in case of the existing government.

Radim Ochvat, secretary of the Prime Minister: Thank you, further question, please. If there is no question, thank you and I wish you nice day.

Martin Bursík, Chairman of the Green Party: Good-bye.

Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the CR and the Chairman of the ODS: Good-bye.