Germany in Brief

Former Czech president receives German honor

Former Czech President Vaclav Havel was awarded the Germany's National Prize 2003 in Berlin on Wednesday. German President Rau conferred the prestigious award, endowed with €100,000, on the 66-year-old for his role in fostering German-Czech relations and his contribution towards a more unified Europe. A dissident playwright turned politician, Havel played a key role in the so-called 1989 Velvet Revolution that led to the collapse of the communist regime in then Czechoslovakia. He then became the country's first president after the country’s transition to democracy. During the award ceremony, Havel said he had always worked to develop "really friendly, open relations with Germany, relations illuminated by the truth and not darkened by zealous passions." He also urged resistance against "intrigue, fraud and backroom deals" in current day politics. In recent months, Havel has been a vocal supporter of the Czech Republic’s aspirations to join the Eurpean Union.

New memorial to last Berlin Wall victim

The city of Berlin is erecting a monument in remembrance of Chris Gueffroy, the last victim shot dead by East German border guards on Feb. 6, 1989 while trying to scale the Berlin Wall to flee to the west. On Saturday, a monument and plaque will be built at the banks of a canal in the Berlin district of Treptow, where the 20-year-old Gueffroy was killed by gun shots during his flight. Gueffory would have turned 35 on June 21. The city senate, which includes the PDS party that is the successor to the former East German communist party, will bear the costs of the €26,0000 project. "As a PDS politician, I feel a special political and human responsibility for a monument to the victims of the Berlin wall," Thomas Flierl, Berlin's culture senator, told the daily Tageszeitung. An estimated 257 people are reported to have been killed at the Berlin Wall by the communist regime while trying to escape to West Germany.

Germany plans tight security for World Cup

Germany, host of the 2006 soccer World Cup, is making elaborate security arrangements for the for the event. Speaking after meeting with security experts from Germany, Belgium, Holland, Portugal as well as 17 central-, east- and south European countries, German Interior Minister Otto Schily said in Berlin on Wednesday, "the World Cup must be fair, peaceful and most importantly should pass off safely." Schily said Germany will be working closely with other nations in order to prevent riots and potential hooligans from traveling to the event. In October last year some 100 experts from 12 countries met in Berlin for a security conference to deal with arrangements for the World Cup. "In Germany we want laws to create trust and lead to the World Cup 2006 becoming an unforgettable sporting event in a peaceful atmosphere," Schily said.