European press review

Newspapers in Germany discuss how the matter of the Sudeten Germans should be resolved with the Czech Republic, and look at an apparent about-turn over tax reforms by the opposition.

In France a daily looks forward to today's censure motion against the government in parliament while another salutes UN weapons inspector Hans Blix on his retirement. And the vote for a ban on fox-hunting in the British parliament attracts comment in Switzerland and Russia.

Czech-German history

A commentary in Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung says a letter sent by German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer to Bavaria's premier Edmund Stoiber could spark a "crisis" in German-Czech relations.

Equating victims of Nazism with German victims of Czech violence after World War II is completely unacceptable to the Czech

Sueddeutsche Zeitung

It quotes the letter as saying that the German government supports the idea of a "humanitarian gesture towards some Sudeten Germans who suffered particularly severely" after the end of World War II in what was then Czechoslovakia.

The commentary argues that Berlin ought to show appreciation of Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla's recent reconciliatory remarks over the issue in the face of domestic opposition.

"If Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer supports payments to Sudeten Germans similar to those made to victims of Nazism, this may please CSU (Christian Social Union) chief Edmund Stoiber but it puts Spidla in an awkward position," it warns.

"Equating victims of Nazism with German victims of Czech violence after World War II is completely unacceptable to the Czech," the paper points out.

A commentary in Germany's Die Welt agrees that the Czech prime minister's acceptance of moral responsibility on the part of the Czech state towards the Sudeten Germans represents "eminent progress".

"All those interested in reaching an understanding should take advantage of the favourable situation and sit down at the table, including the Sudeten Germans, of course," it advises.

Sharp words in France

With a censure motion against the French government - brought by the socialist opposition - being debated in France's National Assembly on Wednesday afternoon, Paris's Le Figaro reports that a remark made by Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin in Strasbourg triggered an opposition walk-out from the parliament building on Tuesday evening.

The prime minister does not seem inclined to water down his convictions for the sake of getting on with political adversaries

Le Figaro

Mr Raffarin's remark, the paper says, was that "France is on the road to paradise but so far it has not gone beyond purgatory because the Socialists are still around".

The prime minister, it notes, "does not seem inclined to water down his convictions for the sake of getting on with political adversaries".

"Censure debates are rarely fought with blunt swords," the paper says, "but this afternoon's promises to be particularly lively."

German tax cuts

The changed stance of the German opposition towards the government's proposed tax reform attracts comment in several papers.

All of Europe has its fingers crossed over Germany's tax reforms

Der Tagesspiegel

Opposition leader Edmund Stoiber realised sooner than others that the opposition was "on the wrong track" politically, the Berliner Zeitung believes. Now the two main opposition parties, the Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), want to "constructively" participate in the reforms, it adds.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung notes that the CDU leader, Angela Merkel, has offered to cooperate, but the paper suspects "cool calculation" on her part.

Ms Merkel and Mr Stoiber, it explains, are both "prisoners of their own election propaganda from last year", when they wanted to bring forward the remaining stages of the tax reforms.

A headline in Der Tagesspiegel states that "all of Europe has its fingers crossed over the reforms".

In recent years, it says, the country's partners "have had cause for concern as Germany has pulled them along towards recession, stagnation and falling prosperity".

Farewell, Mr Blix

Hans Blix "can leave with his head held high", declares France's leading daily Le Monde of the United Nations' chief weapons inspector who retired this week.

Mr Blix's credibility remains intact

Le Monde

"He did not cheat, nor did he manipulate the evidence he found in Iraq."

The paper is inclined to agree with Hans Blix's "prudent thesis" that Iraq did possess "the makings" of chemical and biological weapons, but destroyed them under the combined pressure of weapons inspections and military deployment on its borders.

"In all likelihood," it says, George W Bush and Tony Blair "knew this", but they had "other reasons" for going to war.

"Their credibility has been weakened by the experience. Mr Blix's remains intact."

British 'pastime' endangered?

"It's one of Britain's hottest political issues," says the Swiss Le Temps without naming the matter in question. Might it be the euro? Public services? The monarchy?

"You're not even warm," the paper says, apparently enjoying keeping its readers guessing. "We're talking about fox-hunting with dogs."

This doesn't mean England won't have any handsome horsemen in red outfits, with horns and dogs

Vremya Novostey

On Monday evening, it says, the British House of Commons voted by 362 to 154 for a ban on the controversial blood sport "which arouses more passions here than any other contentious issue".

Russia's business daily, Vremya Novostey, notes that: "A traditional British pastime - fox-hunting - may be outlawed. The lower chamber of the British parliament voted in favour of a ban on fox-hunting with hounds...

"However, this doesn't mean England won't have any handsome horsemen in red outfits, with horns and dogs," the paper says. "The law still has to go to the House of Lords. To all appearances, the measures will meet with bitter resistance in the upper chamber."

"Supporters of the sport," the Russian paper informs its readers, "include Prince Charles, his son Prince William, Camilla Parker-Bowles and many other representatives of high society."

The European press review is compiled by BBC Monitoring from internet editions of the main European newspapers and some early printed editions.