Crack in the pact

A well-informed reader told us that Václav Klaus has never said a positive thing in public about Mirek Topolánek. Admittedly, we haven't been able to review all of Klaus's statements, but we haven't found anything so far to prove our reader wrong. Yesterday was no exception. Klaus indirectly criticized Topolánek for awarding medals to the Mašín brothers. Klaus essentially said that he wouldn't have done it. Analysts generally assume that Topolánek and Klaus agreed on some sort of non- aggression pact prior to the presidential elections. The question has been how long such a pact can survive, given the deep animosity the two reportedly feel for each other. The fact that Topolánek made it to the coveted Oval Office before Klaus did certainly can't help. And if Topolánek continues with his take- no-prisoner style of politics (radar, visas, Mašíns, meal tickets), it will increasingly be easy for Klaus to break the pact while making Topolánek look like the villain. [Czech Republic Josef Ctirad Czechoslovakia anti-Communist resistance White House George W. Bush]