Final Word from Wednesday, June 6, 2007
When EU-Affairs Minister Alexandr Vondra met on Mon. at the Prague Renaissance Hotel with about 20 foreign correspondents, not a single one was interested in the visa issue. They only asked questions about missile defense. After George W. Bush's press conference yesterday, the situation changed. Bush declared that there's "no greater issue for the people of the CR than visa waiver," and numerous foreign reporters mentioned the visa issue in their stories. The Bush visit might not seem to have brought much of anything positive in terms of missile defense, but one important thing was indeed achieved. Bush and his people finally understood how critical abolishing the visas is to Czechs and, hence, to the coalition government. PM Mirek Topolánek can repeat until he's blue in the face that the radar and visa issues aren't linked, but they are. At least as far as the Czechs are concerned.[Czech Republic united states of america U.S. station base]