Prague/Lima - One month ago, twenty members of a "Chemical unit" of the Czech Army left for Peru, where an EU-Latin America summit is currently taking place.
Czech PM Mirek Topolánek will also be in attendance.
The decision to send the unit to Peru wasn't made by the government and the Lower Chamber of the Czech parliament was not informed about it at all.
Unconstitutional?
The Czech constitution states that in such instances the parliament needs to be informed.
It was the daily Právo that first revealed this information.
Defense Ministry spokesman Andrej Čírtek explained the chemists' presence is not a mission, but an official journey - the soldiers even travelled unarmed - whose purpose is to lecture Peruvian soldiers on defense against chemical attacks.
"During the summit they should provide only intellectual, not material help. Thus they are not armed forces because they are not armed. They went there to impart their experiences," said Čírtek.
According to the constitution, it is the Lower Chamber that should make the decision about dispatching armed forces units. And although the government may dispatch soldiers for no more than 60 days, it is obliged to inform the Lower Chamber and have the mission approved beforehand.
