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Dienstbier, Jiří
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3 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Jiří Dienstbier dampens hopes of Kosovans
For Jiří Dienstbier, former UN Human Rights High Commissioner for Yugoslavia, the International Court of Justice's recent judgement on Kosovo comes as a boon to separatists the world over. In a commentary for the leftist daily Právo he writes: "Supporters of the judgement are rejoicing that they are finally rid of a problem they themselves created with the bombing of Yugoslavia. But they're not rid of it. The court created a precedent which separatists throughout the world can use to their advantage. ... The court ignored a fundamental principle of international law: the Final Act of the Helsinki Accords bans border changes without the consent of all parties concerned. ... The inhabitants of Kosovo are also not aided by the isolation they find themselves in since their separation from Serbia - which was approved by a significant number of states. The Balkan countries must be supported on their path to EU membership. But the recognition of Kosovo, a dysfunctional province which even in the form of an international protectorate could not prevent the destabilisation of the Balkans, leads in precisely the opposite direction."
» more information (external link, Czech)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Separatism, » Kosovo
Jiří Dienstbier on Czech naiveté in foreign affairs
Jiří Dienstbier, the former Czechoslovakian foreign minister and current head of the Czech senate's committee on foreign and security policy, advises Czechs to react more calmly to US President Barack Obama's stoppage of the planned missile defence shield in Central Eastern Europe. In a commentary in the left-leaning daily Právo he calls the idea of special relations between the US and the Czech Republic "naive": "Our alliance with the US is one of the basic pillars of our security. But we can only be partners of a superpower in the context of equal relations between all Nato states, and above all as an active element in European integration. By adopting these goals we can help the [EU] to become a strong and enduring player in world affairs. Only a functioning European Union can be a true partner for Washington, Moscow, Beijing, Delhi, Brasília or others. But the Czech Republic comes across as an element of discord in the European orchestra. It lacks strategic reflection on our interests and on how to implement these. Czech politics is split over these questions and for that reason incapable of reacting appropriately to certain situations."
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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Czech Republic, » Europe, » U.S., » Global
Jiří Dienstbier on the Czechs and Europe
The Senate, the Czech parliament's upper house, will vote on the Lisbon treaty for the reform of the EU tomorrow, Wednesday. In a commentary for the left-leaning daily Právo Jiří Dienstbier, senator for the Social Democrats and the country's first foreign minister after the fall of communism, expresses the hope that the treaty will win a majority: "This would be a confirmation of our will to participate in the house of Europe. Perhaps then President Václav Klaus will also realise that with his signature he serves the interests of his state within a union that we voluntarily joined. The constitutional court has confirmed that the treaty does not violate our constitution. So our European partners did not see the fall of our government as such a tragedy. They are more interested in the fate of the Treaty of Lisbon. … We must stop perceiving Europe as something alien and begin to see it as our natural environment. Europe is not 'them'. Europe is us."
» full article (external link, Czech)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Constitution, » Czech Republic
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