Rule of law at risk
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned this week that the
"rule of law is at risk around the world." He had said a few days
earlier that the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was illegal. In the CR,
the debate over the rule of law is less global, but just as topical.
Parliament will soon attempt to override President Václav Klaus'
veto of the European arrest warrant. Klaus argues that it violates
the bill of rights, which protects Czech citizens against being
forced to leave their homeland. However, the CR has promised
the EU to adopt the arrest warrant, and ÈSSD MP Stanislav
Køeèek - in a statement that would surely make Klaus cringe -
told Czech Radio on Tues. that this commitment alone is enough
to supersede the Czech constitution. The Communists, which
have vast experience at selectively and arbitrarily enforcing the
rule of law, are expected to help overturn Klaus' veto. That alone
should be enough to tell Czechs that something is wrong. United
Nations
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