THE CZECH government has defended the right of President Vaclav Klaus to criticise the Lisbon Treaty on his controversial Irish state visit this week.
"Everyone has the right to their opinions. Europe is democratic and everyone can freely express his views," Czech prime minister Mirek Topolanek told the Czech news agency CTK on Wednesday.
But the government is also seeking to limit his role during its upcoming six-month presidency of the EU for fear that the deeply eurosceptic Mr Klaus will cause major political problems.
"I think it brings some flavour to the political discussion in Europe and makes the discussion not monotonous," Czech ambassador to the EU Milena Vicenova said.
"Freedom of speech is holy. I think everybody has the right to express his or her position and I think there is no subject that should not be discussed."
When asked directly about Mr Klaus's public criticism of Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin, whom he accused of hypocrisy, she replied: "I defend the freedom of speech."
Ms Vicenova made her comments in a briefing about the priorities of the Czech Republic during its EU presidency, which begins in January.
She also revealed that talks are continuing in Prague between the Czech government and Mr Klaus about the role he will play during the presidency and which events he will attend.
Mr Klaus has been told he can make a speech to the European Parliament in April, just a few months before the June European elections, which Declan Ganley's Libertas plans to contest. He may also attend an EU summit.
But there are real concerns in Prague - and in other EU capitals - that Mr Klaus, an opponent of the Lisbon Treaty and a climate change sceptic, will complicate the Czech EU presidency.
Czech prime minister Mirek Topolanek has signed the Lisbon Treaty and his government is committed to completing ratification.
But Mr Klaus, who founded the ruling Civic Democrat party (ODS), is doing everything in his power to delay ratification. He recently asked the Czech constitutional court to delay its review of the treaty, to determine if it undermines sovereignty of the Czech constitution, until November 25th.
Ms Vicenova said it was now "technically impossible" for the Czech parliament to complete ratification of Lisbon before its takes over the EU presidency from France.
But she said she was optimistic that the treaty would be ratified in the first quarter of 2009. "My expectation is positive but I can't prejudge the outcome of both the decision of the (constitutional court) judges and the discussion by both chambers."
When asked about the consequences of a decision by Mr Klaus not to sign the Lisbon Treaty to complete ratification, Ms Vicenova said she didn't expect this to happen but if it did occur after parliamentary ratification there would be a "thorough legal analysis".
Paris and Berlin are getting increasingly nervous about the delay in ratification of the Lisbon Treaty in the Czech Republic and its upcoming EU presidency. They had hoped Prague would have ratified the treaty in time for the December summit, to put pressure on Taoiseach Brian Cowen to order a second referendum in Ireland.
This week German MEP Jo Leinen, chairman of the constitutional affairs committee in the European Parliament, returned from a visit to Prague warning that it could end up being "a bigger problem than Ireland".
"There will be a shadow on the Czech presidency and they will be confronted with this situation already at the December summit and from the first day of their presidency," he said.
Ms Vicenova said the EU will invite US president-elect Barack Obama to an EU summit in Prague with all 27 EU leaders on April 2nd. She said transatlantic relations and improving economic co-operation with the US would be a Czech presidency priority.