Passing the buck

Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg took a virtuous position on the return of Jiří Čunek to the cabinet but went out of his way to praise Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek. He's the best minister, he told Respekt, in part because he doesn't equivocate. Schwarzenberg clearly hasn't been listening to what Kalousek and his team have been saying - or not saying - about the sale of ČSA Cargo to a front company (CE Handling) with suspicious links to Kalousek's buddy, Richard Háva. The name of the real buyer is being treated almost like a state secret. At some point, the truth will come out, and someone will have to take the hit. CEO Radomír Lašák of ČSA washed his hands of the issue yesterday on Rádio Česko. When asked if he knows anything about CE Handling, he said that the sale was handled by one of Europe's largest banks (CAIB) and that he therefore has no reason to call it into question. [Czech Republic Czech Airways terminal Omnipol]