Prague - Yet another meeting of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) MPs has produced no progress in the suspended discussion about compensations to churches for the property confiscated from them by the state under the communist regime.
The ODS tried to persuade the dissenters in their ranks not to block the law which sanctions the compensations and to allow it to go on to the second hearing.
But a group of parliamentary members headed by Vlastimil Tlustý refused.
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Tense atmosphere
"In some instances, the atmosphere was rather tense. I would like ministers [Václav] Jehlička and [Petr] Gandalovič to speak with us and to append the explanatory report to the law according to our proposal," said Juraj Raninec, one of the three rebels, after the meeting.
However, Vlastimil Tlustý welcomed discussions of the issue.
Head of the Civic Democratic MPs Petr Tluchoř assured that the parliamentary club would like to continue discussions with the dissenters. However, Tluchoř indicated that they are not interested in amending the explanatory report as much as in causing the government's fall and enabling Jiří Paroubek, head of the Social Democratic Party (ČSSD), to form a new cabinet.
Coalition break up?
"I see the majority that is advocating this. It is Social Democrats, Communists and our own trinity," said Tluchoř.
"There have been accusations going around that we want to break up the coalition," assured Jan Schwippel, the third rebel who caused the current pat.
"It is not true, we just want our request to be fulfilled. We want to know how the government has reached the figure of 83 billions CZK (3,3 billion euro) and we hope it will provide us with an explanatory report to the law," added Schwippel.
The parliament will discuss the law again in the beginning of June. Raninec said that in case the government does not fulfill their request of amending the law, they would again vote to postpone it.
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