US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright returns to the land of her birth Sunday to honor one of its founding fathers -- but not, she insists, to plan her return as Czech president.
Published:
5 March 2000 y., Sunday
But despite her reluctance, Czech President Vaclav Havel at least is expected to ask about her presidential plans when the two meet at his Prague castle residence.
Albright, born Marie Korbelova in 1937 in what was then Czechoslovakia, will spend three days in the Czech Republic notably paying tribute to the first Czechoslovak President Tomas Masaryk who died in 1937 aged 87.
Speculation that the trip in fact marked the start of a bid to succeed Czech President Vaclav Havel reached fever pitch last month after a report in the US magazine Time.
The report, citing unidentified officials, said Albright was considering the possibility of running for the Czech presidency once the second Clinton term is over at the end of this year.
But, after a series of denials by her spokesman, Albright appeared to kill the speculation stone dead on the eve of her arrival.
"I am very flattered by the speculation that I might be considered a serious candidate in the future for the presidency of the Czech Republic," she said in a statement released via the US embassy in Prague.
"However, I am not and will not be a candidate for that high office, for which I am sure there will be no shortage of highly-qualified Czech men and women," she added.
Among those most disappointed by Albright_s comments will be 63-year-old Havel.
Šaltinis:
Agence France Presse
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
The twentieth anniversary of the Baltic Way was commemorated in Tokyo.
more »
After an emotional funeral service in Boston and a 90-minute flight from Massachusetts, the flag-draped casket holding Edward Kennedy arrived by motorcade in Washington, D.C. for a final visit to the U.S. Capitol Building, the political home for the senior Senator of Massachusetts for almost half a century.
more »
Mike Perham has become the youngest person to sail single handedly round the world. It's also the dream of another teenager in the Netherlands.
more »
Whenever its member countries are hit by natural disasters, the EU steps in to help coordinate assistance and fund the reconstruction of essential infrastructure.
more »
Inside this tiny house in central Cuba a woman rekindles old fashioned romance in a modern age. Liudmila Quincose writes love letters for a living.
more »
A traditional drum beat opens the 2009 World Karate Championships in Japan.
more »
Scientists are investigating the death of about 300 sea lions on the coast of Chile.
more »
Carmen Valverde and her dog Tomas were out for a walk in their Lima, Peru neighborhood when Tomas was snatched from her side.
more »
It was never going to be a quiet affair when Lance Armstrong put out an invitation on twitter for fans to join him on a bike ride around a Scottish town.
more »
About half of the British public feel there is a general negative bias in reporting on EU affairs on television, radio and in the written press, with written press reports seen as the most negative, according to a public opinion poll published by the European Commission today.
more »