Babis to Lead Czech Delegation at NATO Summit

Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka maintains that Prime Minister Andrej Babis, not President Petr Pavel, will head the Czech delegation to the NATO summit in Ankara. Speaking on CNN Prima News, he also signaled that Pavel would attend the summit in some capacity. The government is due to announce the delegation's final makeup on Monday.

According to Macinka, the Constitutional Court's ruling that the president be accredited and given full services did not overturn the government's resolution naming the prime minister as delegation head. Deputy Prime Minister Alena Schillerova said the public will be told on Monday that the president has been accredited.

Macinka was also sharply critical of the court's preliminary injunction, arguing that it foreshadows the final ruling and is pushing the Czech Republic toward a presidential system of government.

The NATO summit takes place on 7 and 8 July in Ankara. The Constitutional Court is expected to rule on Pavel's jurisdictional complaint within the next few months.

(ceskenoviny, bak)