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base-press ... The six-month presidency, starting at the beginning of next year, will be a challenge to unite the views of the coalition government and the opposition on basic questions of Czech foreign policy, Topolanek said. For the moment, internal games must be set aside, he added. "It is our joint duty to prevent the political scene and society from being split on the problems in which our national interests, the future of the EU and security will be at stake," Topolanek said. "I ask opposition Social Democrat (CSSD) leader Jiri Paroubek to start a serious discussion on foreign priorities transcending one election term," Topolanek said in his statement. Topolanek said the Lisbon treaty now could not take effect irrespective of whether the ratification process would continue. He stressed that all EU countries, including Ireland, had to pass it. After the Irish rejection of the treaty in the referendum on Monday, Topolanek announced he considered the Czech ratification process suspended as it was to be reviewed by the Czech Constitutional Court. The document has been ratified by 18 countries. A meeting of EU leaders will decide on further course at a summit on Thursday and Friday. Topolanek said he would go there to "look for any, even provisional measures that will not provoke any crisis." Topolanek's Civic Democratic Party (ODS, a senior coalition government member) is sceptical of the treaty. The Greens leadership said on Saturday the ratification should continue and a similar stand has been adopted by the Christian Democrats, the third coalition government member. The view is shared by the Social Democrats. At the beginning of the year, Topolanek asked other parties for a truce during the Czech EU presidency. He said the talks on the "cease-fire" should end by summer and it should be signed by all parties in the parliament. However, tension on the Czech political scene seems to be heightening.
(Ceske Noviny)
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