Czech premier not happy to attend Mandela funeral

[Judi Lynn]

Source: http://www.chron.com/news/world/article/Czech-prem

Czech premier not happy to attend Mandela funeral
| December 7, 2013 | Updated: December 7, 2013 1:42pm

PRAGUE (AP) — Many world leaders have said they wouldn't miss Nelson Mandela's funeral for anything, but Czech Prime Minister Jiri Rusnok isn't among them.

Rusnok's conversation with Defense Minister Vlastimil Picek in parliament on Friday was broadcast by the Czech public television news channel.

When Picek reminded him that President Milos Zeman might be unable to fly because of a knee injury, Rusnok reacted with a vulgar term.

Addressing his companion by the Czech equivalent of "dude," Rusnok said: "I'm dreading that I will have to go."


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/world/article/Czech-premier-not-happy-to-attend-Mandela-funeral-5044075.php

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[center]

Rusnok.[/center]

[question everything]

1. "A would-be Lenin who became Africa's Vaclav Havel"

This was the subtitle of the Nelson Mandela editorial in the WSJ...

Ironic.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303497804579240591294656698

(You can open the story by copy and pasting Nelson Mandela onto google and look for the WSJ editorial...)

[Igel]

2. Meh.

No political loyalties either way, no political points of them either way. Then there's the trip, the interruption, and the fact that they're busy with their own affairs.

"Ty vole, já doufám, že prezident. [...] Já mám ještě nějakej oběd, pak máme večeři. Já jsem ve strachu, abych ještě nemusel jet tam. To je navíc dálka jako prase. To bych tam musel nějakou linkou," pokračuje premiér. "Ne, speciálem," uklidňuje ho šéf obrany. "Kdo to zaplatí?" oponuje mu Rusnok. "No, já to zaplatím," zůstává v klidu Picek"
(http://zpravy.idnes.cz/rusnokovi-se-nechce-na-mandeluv-pohreb-dh9-/domaci.aspx?c=A131207_123827_domaci_klm)

"You (?), I hope that the president (will go). ... I have a dinner then parties. I'm afraid that I'll have to go. That's a hell of a long way. There'd have to be some sort of layover', the premier continued. 'No, special flight,' the assembly leader calmed him down. 'Who'll pay?' countered Rusnok. 'Well, I'll pay for it,' calmly answer Picek." ("Vole" is one of those words I hate tackling. It means "ox" and can be anything from "dude" to "dickhead", a term of comraderie to pure fury. I tend to go with "asshole," but it's not that usually vulgar.)

The translation is something like that. My Czech's rusty.


To which Rusnok eventually said that it was inappropriate to express himself in those terms.
http://zpravy.idnes.cz/rusnok-omluva-za-slova-pohreb-mandely-dx3-/domaci.aspx?c=A131207_161253_domaci_skr

In any event, he wasn't told he'd have to go. He was told he might have to go. As of today it was still undecided.


Apart from the sheer, "Oh, btw, you might have to drop all your own plans to make an unscheduled 4-day trip, we'll let you know in a few days" annoyance factor it also helps to remember their history and not just ours: The USSR firmly backed Mandela and billed him as one of their own even as the USSR sent tanks into Prague and Brno and shot Czechs.

[okaawhatever]

4. Thanks for the translation and history....nt

[Turbineguy]

3. Maybe he can do a meetup

with the Fred Phelps Mob.

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

5. Yeah,

they could all meet in Prague.