Schwarzenberg blasts immigration summit

Foreign Affairs Minister Karel Schwarzenberg has criticized France for not inviting the Czech Republic, Romania or Bulgaria to the immigration summit in Paris.

The summit, held Sept. 6, had been called in the wake of the recent expulsion of hundreds of Roma from France - a move set to be replicated by authorities in Italy.

The repatriations have been criticized both within France and around the world. The French government has defended its move, saying the expulsions were for security reasons and adding that the people involved did not meet the legal conditions for foreigners' stay in France.

The expulsions were not mentioned during the talks, at which representatives of the seven invited countries - France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, the United Kingdom, Greece and Canada - agreed to adopt faster procedures to deal with illegal immigrants whose immigration or refugee status requests have been turned down.

In talks with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, Schwarzenberg said the Czech Republic wanted to raise the issue of the visas required for Czechs traveling to Canada but had not been invited.

Kouchner told Schwarzenberg the decision of who would be invited to the conference was made by the French Immigration and Interior ministries.

Canada re-introduced visas for Czechs last year over an increased number of Czech Roma seeking Canadian asylum.

In July, the Canadian Parliament passed a reform of asylum policy that will take effect over the next 18 months. It is hoped the new stricter rules will create the conditions for the lifting of the visa requirements for Czechs.

Talks on the sidelines

Kouchner is said to have assured Schwarzenberg of French support for the Czechs on the visa issue and said it was in the interest of all of Europe to find a solution to Roma integration, the Czech News Agency reported.

Schwarzenberg also personally raised the status of Roma in Europe in separate talks earlier in the day Sept. 6 with French President Nicolas Sarkozy's foreign policy adviser, Jean-David Levitte.

Speaking to journalists after the talks, Schwarzenberg said he is sensitive about the Roma issue because he grew up close to the camp in Lety, south Bohemia, where more than 1,300 Roma were gathered during the Nazi occupation. About 330 people died at the camp, while more than 500 were sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

In a recent interview, Schwarzenberg said he believed that the French expulsion - spearheaded by Sarkozy - "goes against the spirit and rules of the EU." He added that "to put it mildly, when inspecting the case, one cannot but voice the suspicion that racist motivation plays a role, too."

In a subsequent interview on Czech Television, Schwarzenberg clarified that he had not called Sarkozy racist, but had stated that "there was the outward impression that this may be racism."

Meanwhile, the issue of nuclear energy was also raised in Schwarzenberg's talks with Levitte. The Sarkozy adviser told Schwarzenberg of France's interest in participating in the addition of two reactors to the Temelín nuclear power plant in south Bohemia, in a massive tender thought to be worth up to $500 billion.

Schwarzenberg said it would be interesting for the Czech Republic if France won the tender, which currently has three prospective bidders from the United States and Russia as well as France, because he said it has the most sophisticated technology.

Bill Lehane can be reached at
blehane@praguepost.com