Final Word from Thursday, September 23, 2004
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 ČSSD MP Stanislav Křeček - 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