Diplomats try to free Czechs in Zambia

The Foreign Affairs Ministry is ramping up its negotiations with the government of Zambia, the southern African republic whose military police arrested three Czech tourists on charges of espionage in October.

Foreign Affairs Minister Karel Schwarzenberg (TOP 09) has dispatched a special envoy to the country to meet with officials who say the matter of releasing the detainees must be handled by the Zambian courts, a demand the ministry seems willing to meet.

"We want to solve the case with respect to the justice system in Zambia and with regard to maintaining a friendly relationship between our countries," said ministry spokesman Vít Kolář. "We still believe it will be successfully resolved as soon as possible. We're convinced it is a mistake which will be explained."

The three men - reportedly 45-year-old welder Michal Vebr; carpenter Jan Coufal, 36; and technician Jiří Cetel, also 45 - were arrested in the capital city of Lusaka Oct. 12 when they were spotted taking pictures of entrances to two airbases used by the Zambian Air Force, as well as the entrance to the presidential palace. They were quickly released on $2,000 bail each, but had to surrender their passports and have since been living at the home of the Czech consul.

Talks between the two countries became strained when a Czech member of the European Parliament, Jan Březina, announced he had consulted with EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton, asking her to impose economic sanctions on Zambia and cut off aid to the country until the three men were returned home. Zambian leaders were furious as news reports circulated it was the Czech government that had lobbied Ashton.

"It is not in the best interest of diplomatic relations for the Czech government to threaten us with sanctions," Zambian Foreign Affairs Minister Chishimba Kambwili told the Zambia Daily Mail Nov. 23. "They are sending a special envoy to come and discuss. That is how we do things and not threaten each other."

Kolář said the ministry was "not consulted" by Březina before he began speaking publicly about his request to cut EU aid to Zambia and wants to continue resolving the matter diplomatically, but Březina told The Prague Post he felt more muscle might be needed to persuade the Zambian government to cooperate.

"I recognize the Czech Foreign Ministry is doing its best to resolve the situation but at the same time I'm convinced it would be useful to engage the EU," he said. "I hope it will not be necessary to reduce or suspend development aid [to Zambia]. I consider it as a last option if Zambia would intentionally manipulate the case."

But Kolář said there is no evidence that officials in Zambia are trying to game the system.

"We believe the representatives of Zambia are aware of the respect being shown by Czech diplomats and are playing by the rules," he said. "We think they are also aware that it's a sensitive case with regard to the three Czech citizens and their families."

It had been reported earlier in November that Zambian prosecutors have been telling the three men that they would be able to go home soon and that they plan on dropping the charges. But so far, the case has remained in court and officials from both countries continue to monitor the situation.

- Filip Šenk contributed to this report.

Jack Buehrer can be reached at
jbuehrer@praguepost.com