Jezek said he would not anticipate whether he will turn to the court. He said the NK can take further steps only after the EC's official position is known, along with the Czech Anti-Trust Office's (UOHS). Earlier this week, the EC sent a fax with its view of the NK situation to the UOHS at the latter's request. In reaction to this, the UOHS wants to recommend that the NK cancel the competition. "The architectonic competition probably cannot be scrapped by anyone but the NK, but there is no reason to do so for the time being.
I must consult my lawyers. If they insist on their original position [favourable to Kaplicky's project], the only body that can decide [the EC says Czech National Library tender was not in order - server ...
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Czech miilitary tender for container supply irregular - court ... dispute] is the court," Jezek said. The UOHS has dealt with the NK dispute repeatedly since the spring 2007 when Kaplicky won the international competition with his project dubbed "blob" or "octopus" for its organic shape. Each time, however, the UOHS swept the complaints about the alleged unlawful course of the competition away saying that such an architectonic competition need not follow the law on public orders, a position the EC has reportedly challenged now. "The UOHS has refused to pass the copies of the fresh documents coming from Brussels to the NK, therefore the developments are difficult [to react to]. We'd like to see what has arrived," Jezek said. He said the NK will officially ask for the EC document on Monday at the latest. The EC has decided that neither the UNESCO nor the International Union of Architects (UIA) rules can be applied to the competition's course, thus replacing the valid legislation, UOHS deputy chairwoman Jindriska Koblihova told CTK on Thursday. Deputy culture minister Frantisek Mikes told CTK today he believes that the competitions should have been held in accordance with the Czech law. "If the EC says that the law on public orders should have been followed, there are not many possibilities left now," Mikes said. The NK building's construction has been so far prevented by problems concerning the plots involved, financing and the question marks above the competition's regular character. In addition, Culture Minister Vaclav Jehlicka says the ministry's budget does not reckon with the project worth an estimated 4 billion crowns. Kaplicky told CTK today that he would not like to interfere in Czech political problems. "From now on I'll communicate only through my lawyers as any statement will be part of something bigger that is going to happen," Kaplicky answered CTK's question of whether he would bring the issue to court. Kaplicky was probably alluding to the negative stand the Civic Democrats (ODS), who dominate the Prague Assembly, have shown on the NK project mainly since it turned out that it is disliked by President Vaclav Klaus, ODS honorary chairman enjoying high respect in the party. The preparation of the project, including the international architectonic competition cost 30 million crowns. Kaplicky would receive another 4 million if a contract on the project's construction were not signed by March 2, 2009. Scotland's Edinburgh and some other Czech towns have shown interest in Kaplicky's project, but he insists on its being built in Prague. The new NK building is necessary to secure space for depositing books of which the NK historical building in the centre of Prague and its depository in Prague's outskirts will run out after 2010. (USD1=15.583 crowns)
(Ceske Noviny)
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