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Politics: International relations and defence(Country Profile Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)A Western-oriented foreignpolicy Following the disintegration of the Soviet bloc, Czechoslovakia made integration with west European political, economic and security structures its primary foreign policy goal. Czechoslovakia joined the Council of Europe shortly after the Velvet Revolution, and in 1991 signed an association agreement with the EU (then the EC). After the break-up of Czechoslovakia in 1993 the Czech and Slovak governments took over the international agreements negotiated by the federation. Declining government effectiveness and political instability after 1996 led to a slowdown in legislative harmonisation with EU norms, and the Czech Republicpreviously the best prepared of the transition countries for EU membershipfell behind other accession candidates. The post-1998 CSSD government reinvigorated the push for EU integration while also supporting efforts to strengthen regional co-operation. In particular, relations with Slovakia improved markedly following the replacement of its quasi-authoritarian government, led by Vladimir Meciar, with a democratically minded coalition in October 1998. The changeover in Slovakia also allowed the CSSD government to take the lead in reviving the dormant Visegrad initiative, although regional co-ordination on key policy demands and the terms of EU enlargement proved elusive, with each country continuing to act largely on its own. The Czech Republic's relations with Austria, Germany and Hungary deteriorated at the beginning of 2002, after all three states insistedpartly owing to impending electoral pressureson repeal of the post-war "Benes decrees". Issued by Edvard Benes, Czechoslovakia's leader prior to the Communist coup in 1948, the decrees formed the legal framework for the expropriation and expulsion of around 3m Sudeten Germans and 30,000 ethnic Hungarians. Tensions eased after the European Commission insisted that the decrees were a purely bilateral issue (although it has urged the Czech Republic to offer a "gesture of regret") and, equally importantly, after moderate political forces prevailed in neighbouring states. Nevertheless, the issue remains highly sensitive and prone to politicisation. Towards EU membership The association agreement of 1991 represented the first step toward formalised relations between the then EC and Czechoslovakia. The Czech Republic concluded a new association agreement with the EU in 1993, which foresaw free trade in manufactured products (and some groups of agricultural products) within ten years, with the EU offering a certain amount of asymmetrical liberalisation. The Czech Republic submitted its formal membership application in 1996 and in July 1997 was singled out as one of five countries (out of ten east European applicants) to join the "fast track" to membership. The pace of EU harmonisation accelerated after 2000, in response to two consecutive poor annual reviews of accession preparations by the European Commission. Formal legal harmonisation was completed by December 2002, when the EU invited the Czech Republic, along with seven other post-communist accession candidates (as well as Cyprus and Malta), to join in May 2004. In the period since accession, the CSSD-led government has aligned itself with advocates of deeper integration. From Warsaw Pact to NATO Czechoslovakia was a founding member of the Warsaw Pact, the Soviet-led defence alliance, until its abolition in March 1991. The Czechoslovak army was divided when the federation separated. In July 1997 NATO issued membership invitations to the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary, which was followed by official admission to the alliance in March 1999. The Czech Republic's main operational assets include a highly respected chemical detection unit and field hospitals. All parliamentary political forces, with the exception of the KSCM, support NATO membership, although a very sizeable minority of the populationat times nearly halfcontinues to express scepticism. This reflects widespread opposition to recent operations, particularly NATOs bombing campaign in Serbia in 1999, as well as more deeply rooted anti-military sentiment, which reflects the armys failure to defend the country in 1938 and 1968. The Czech Republic's armed forces (including conscripts) totalled 24,000 in 2005, down sharply from 57,050 in 2002. The army accounted for roughly 80% of the active armed forces and the air force for the remainder. Terms of conscription were steadily shortened in recent years, standing at 9-12 months when compulsory service, in place in the Czech lands for 140 years, was eliminated entirely with the changeover to a fully professional army at the beginning of 2005. The Ministry of Defence, which has reduced its own staff levels steeply, is targeting an armed force of 35,000, with full operational capabilities to be reached in 2009-2012. Czech forces participate in UN and peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Hercegovina (BiH), Congo, Ethiopia/Eritrea, Georgia, Kosovo, and Liberia. Since the start of the US-led "war on terror" in 2001, Czech troops have been dispatched to Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait. The Iraq contingent will remain at least until the end of 2006, as will the troops deployed in Afghanistan, the majority of which are now operating under NATO command. SOURCE: Country Profile |