Chancellor Gerhard Schroder, in visit, also aims to improve ties

Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla paced, young soldiers in dress uniform smirked and photographers scrambled for position as German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder arrived Sept. 5 for his first state visit to the Czech Republic in almost four years. It was a symbolic visit from a neighbor and world leader who had canceled his last trip to Prague in disgust. The national anthems were played and the red carpet was rolled out, but behind the pomp and ceremony there was also an agenda. Schroder's visit was part of a wider whistle-stop tour to lobby small nations such as the Czech Republic for their support of the European Union Constitution. Because the constitution must be ratified by all member states, a no vote in the Czech Republic would effectively kill it, something Schroder is working hard to avoid. Also on the agenda for Schroder was improving relations between the two countries, a step he said meant getting past the past. Noticeably absent -- perhaps in keeping with the spirit of camaraderie -- was any mention of the war in Iraq, to which the two governments have responded very differently.