THE CZECH REPUBLIC AND THE IRAQ CRISIS: SHAPING THE CZECH STANCE David Kr·l, Luk·ö Pachta Europeum Institute for European Policy, January 2005 Table of contens Executive Summary. 5 1. Introduction . 7 2. The President 1. Constitutional framework . 11 2. Havel versus Klaus . 13 3. The Presidentís position on the Iraq crisis . 15 3. The Government 1. Constitutional framework . 21 2. Governmental resolution: articulation of the Czech position. 22 3. Continuity of foreign policy ñ the Czech Republic and the ëcoalition of the willingí. 23 4. Political constellation within government . 26 5. Proposal of the Foreign Ministry . 27 6. Acceptance of the governmental position . 29 7. The power of personalities . 30 4. The Parliament 1. General framework. 35 2. Debate and role of the Parliament before the initiation of the Iraqi operation . 36 3. The Chamber of Deputies ñ critique by the opposition . 38 4. The Senate debate ñ lower influence of the political parties, higher influence of personalities . 39 5. Parliamentary discussion during the Iraq crisis. 42 6. Discussion on the dispatching of a field hospital to Basra . 43 5. The Political Parties 1. Czech Social Democratic Party (»SSD): Ambivalent workhorse of the Czech government . 50 2. Antiwar resolution of the »SSD Congress: A blow for the »SSD in government. 51 3. Smaller coalition parties: pro-American but constructive and loyal . 54 4. Civic Democratic Party (ODS): Clear position, weak critique of the government and conflict with Klaus . 55 5. Communist party (KS»M): Weak in influence but strong in rhetoric . 57 6. Conclusion . 59 7. Annexes. (in Czech version only) 3 Executive Summary EXECUTIVE SUMMARY David Kr·l has been the chairman of EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy since ■ The Czech government expressed political support for the general objectives of 2000 where he also serves as the director of EU policies programme. He also lectures at the United States and its allies on the Iraq issue. However, the Czech govern- the Department of European Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles Universi- ment decided not to participate directly in the US led ‘Iraqi freedom’ military ty in Prague. He graduated from the Law Faculty at Charles University. He is also a cer- operation because there was no UN mandate for such an operation. tified trainer in EU modules for public administration. During the work of the Convention on the Future of Europe and the Intergovernmental Conference 2003/2004 ■ The unprecedented conflict between some EU member states and the Euro- he was a member of advisory groups of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Atlantic partnership put the Czech government in a very awkward position Minister. He is a member of the Board of PASOS (Policy Association for an Open Soci- where it did not want to cause ill will to either side in the international debate ety), gathering think-tanks and policy institutes from Central and Eastern Europe and over how to deal effectively with the Iraq question. Newly Independent States. His main areas of expertise in Europeum include the EU reform and Constitutional Treaty, EU enlargement, EU external relations, Common ■ The final government position adopted was the product of a complicated series Foreign and Security Policy and Justice and Home Affairs. of internal discussions. This resulted in a compromise which attempted to con- ciliate the pro-American position of the foreign and defence ministers with the strongly pacifist faction in the ČSSD (main governing) party. ■ The outlook adopted by the office of President was influenced by the succes- sion of Václav Klaus who took over from Václav Havel in February 2003. Luk·ö Pachta studies at the Institute of International Studies at the Faculty of Social Klaus and Havel took clear and opposing public positions on the Iraq issue. For Science, Charles University. In 2003-2004 he studied at Sciences Po in Paris. In 2001 he both leaders their distinct positions reflected a long-term commitment to spe- became an editor of “Integrace” – a magazine on EU issues. From September 2001 until cific beliefs and goals. August 2003 he was working as the editor-in-chief of the Integrace magazine. His main areas of research encounter current political developments in the EU, the CFSP and ESDP ■ The role played by political parties such as the ČSSD was also complex. and Transatlantic relations. A majority of the ČSSD parliamentary party adopted an anti-war position. In contrast, members of cabinet such as Prime Minister Špidla and Deputy Defence Minister Skopek were supportive of the American position. These internal differences within the ČSSD were partly responsible for the contradic- tory and ambiguous statements made by the Czech government when expli- cating its position on Iraq. ■ Both of the main opposition parties, the ODS and KSČM had definite, clear and opposing positions on the issue of supporting a military strike on Iraq. 4 5 Executive Summary Introduction ■ All parties except the KSČM accepted the necessity of removing the regime of Saddam Hussein, which was typically described as being both brutal and dictatorial. The pro-intervention arguments often made special reference to the 1. INTRODUCTION Czech Republic’s own authoritarian legacy. ■ The position adopted by the Czech Parliament was largely based on the parti- This policy paper was undertaken within the framework of the ‘Transatlantic san divisions within the upper and lower chambers. Relations Research Project’ and in co-operation with the German Marshall Fund of the United States. ■ The official position adopted by the government of the Czech Republic can be The purpose of this research is to assess and analyse the formation of the considered the only sensible stance possible given the prevailing internal political Czech foreign policy position during the Iraq crisis. The Czech position has often divisions and the international conflict between the transatlantic partners. been portrayed in the media as being ambivalent, inconsistent and unclear. This study does not attempt to assess the Czech position in terms of the legality, legit- ■ The stance taken by the Czech government was a success in that it did not imacy or necessity of the US led military invasion of Iraq. The main focus here cause any immediate rift in relations between the Czech Republic and those will be to outline those factors which were important in determining Czech for- countries supportive of military action in Iraq or those who favoured a more eign policy on the Iraq issue. Furthermore an attempt will be made to place the peaceful resolution. However, the Czech government did fail to communicate Czech position on Iraq within the context of Czech foreign policy more general- its position in a coherent and consistent manner on the domestic and interna- ly. Was the Czech position on Iraq a credible one on the international stage? tional stages. What impact did the adoption of the Czech position on Iraq have on domestic politics and relations with other countries? This study will focus on a specific timeframe – autumn 2002 to spring 2003 – that is on the immediate pre-war and post-intervention phases. We accept that the events in Iraq and the position the Czech government adopted on this issue have had far reaching consequences. However, the key goal in this study is to outline the way in which the Czech position on Iraq evolved during this critical period where particular emphasis will be placed on the positions adopted by domestic political actors and their attempts to influence the government’s final position. There are additional reasons for looking back on the events of more than one year ago and addressing the issues which have arisen in their wake. In our opinion, the Iraq crisis was a very significant – perhaps unprecedented – event in the histo- ry of transatlantic relations and the Euro-Atlantic community. Such trans-national developments are we believe reflected in the considerations that underpinned the formulation and articulation of Czech foreign policy on Iraq. The Czech Republic has been a member of NATO since 1999 and has developed strong links to the United States and was in early 2003 on the cusp of joining the European Union (EU). From the Czech perspective, the conflict that arose between the United States and member of the EU over Iraq in late 2002 and early 2003 represents perhaps the greatest dilemma to face her foreign policy makers in the post-1989 era. 6 7 Introduction Introduction The reaction of the Czech Republic to this important and unique situation was analysis, we have taken into consideration the constitutional role assigned to each determined by domestic political considerations. Domestic political actors had to of these actors in terms of competence to deal with foreign and security policy. Fur- come to terms with many important and complex issues whose consequences thermore, we have been critically aware of the activities and involvement of indi- were deemed likely to have lasting effects on the country in a variety of spheres. vidual actors on the Iraq issue and how these considerations have shaped their There were at least two factors that played a key role in the formation of the preference structure. In this respect we have attempted to assess both the degree of Czech position on Iraq. First, consideration must be made of the roles and goals consonance in the preferences of these ‘stakeholders’ and also the internal dynam- of domestic institutional actors who have been traditionally involved, for consti- ics lying behind the presentation of their various foreign policy proposals for Iraq. tutional reasons or otherwise, in the design and implementation of Czech foreign Of course a number of other factors and interests may have influenced the for- and security policy.