Dear petitioners,

The President of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel has entrusted me to reply the signed petition you have sent concerning the situation in Usti and Labem, specifically the suggestion to erect a wall which would separate the homes occupied by Romanies from those of other citizens in the town. President Havel was disturbed with the suggestion of separating citizens by the means of such a wall. He cautioned that the problem of the relations of the majority with Romanies was the most visible, most inflamed factor in a larger concept, the respect for human rights. At the same time, he has reminded us that such resolutions are unacceptabel in a democratic society, and he has publicly expressed his rejection of these and of similar intentions.
The suggestion to build a wall was also immediately publicly rejected by representatives of virtually every political presence in the nation. The solution which you suggest would be the resignation of the members of the local administration, specifically the town council. This concerns, however, representatives who have been elected directly by the citizens in communal elections.
No political authority in the state administration has the constitutional right or even the possibility to recall them, not even the President of the Republic. The decision lies entirely in the hands of the local citizens, particularly as the current term for these representatives is coming to an end and new communal elections will be held in November. We remain convinced that the voters will prefer a positive change in the city and that they will choose their new representatives responsibly.
I wish to express appreciation for the trust with which you are turning to the president. I can assure you that President Havel will use all the influence he can exert to see to a positive change in society, in order to bring about a better intercultural coexistence and mutual tolerance between the citizens of our nation.

Yours,
Dr. Jiri Pehe
Director, Political Department