Issued by Plenary Session of the Civic Forum on November 29, 1989 at 5 p. m.

inventární číslo: L89-062
výška v cm: 21x29,7 (A4)
šířka v cm:

Representatives of the civic initiative The Public Against Violence from Bratislava, Mr. Milan Knazko, Mr. Jan Budaj, Mr. Vladimir Ondrus, Mr. Miroslav Kusy, Mr. Petr Zajac and Mr. Martin Butora, came to Prague and held deliberations with representatives of the Civic Forum. From these deliberations the following report was issued:

This afternoon representatives of the Civic Forum (CF) and The Public Against Violence (PAV) met together. They assessed the current situation and stressed their common demand that the further development od Czechoslovakia in the direction of a democratic society take place without any violence.

The CF and PAV accept each other as the sovereign representatives of the Czech and Slovak civic movements. They cooperate on the basis of mutual partnership which is the outcome of similar platforms and objectives. They intend to continue in this partnership also in all negotiations with government bodies. The common objective of the CF and the PAV is the changing of Czechoslovakia into a democratic federation, in which Czechs and Slovaks, together with other nationalities, will live in mutual friendship and understanding.

In the evening the PAV delegation flew back to Bratislava accompanied by Vaclav Havel, Marta Kubisova, Petr Oslzly, Simon Panek and Josef Vavrouska; they will speak at a meeting in the Slovak National Theatre.

We intend to closely monitor the debate in the Federal Assembly and we shall take a stand as soon as the outcome of these deliberations will be known.
The prime minister in yesterday´s negotiations with the CF said he wished to discuss with us the members of the new cabinet. The CF does not aspire to any ministerial post, but would like to suggest to the prime minister that the minister of national defence be a civilian person who has not compromised himself and is a member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, while the minister of the interior be a person who has not compromised himself, is a civilian and is not a member of the Party. This suggestion was given to the prime minster in the course of this morning.
Appeal of Civic Forum to members of the Czechoslovak People´s Army and the National Security Corps: We who support the Civic Forum are well aware of the importance of the army and security forces in any country. For this reason we wish to appeal to you in the following matters:
You come from the people of this country. Honor their will and protect their interests.
Do not let yourself be misused by any group of people against the democratic renewal of our country. Nobody wants any violence or revenge which would be very damaging to all of us.
We ask you to protect the lives and rights of your fellow citizens and the security of our country. Help all citizens who turn to you and provide them with your protection. Our country needs real professionals in combating general criminality and defending us against organized crime.
Our army should defend the sovereignty of the Czechoslovak state. It must never be misused for the furthering of the interests of one political group
The Civic Forum is against disruption and anarchy and strives to renew the domestic peace of our country.
In its statement from yesterday the Civic Forum also appealed to all citizens to continue their work in industry, the services and transportation, and wherever economic losses might be incurred. We should clearly stress that in the interests of our common goal, towards which we have taken only first steps, we cannot allow a deterioration of the economic situation.
In spite of the fact that we have achieved soma successes we must not decrease our vigilance. A week of mass demonstrations has ended, as has the general strike. We shall now carefully monitor the development of the political situation. We should now give priority to a factual exchange of opinions in the atmosphere which our students have created.

Today and tomorrow we want to above all to devote to an improvement of our communication with all local Civic Forums; our aim is to practically prove that we are open to all who wish to support our program principles. Citizens who are active in the Civic Forum, do not wait for any instructions from us! We assume that in substantial questions we have essential unity. We are not your superior body. You yourselves know best what should be done today and what can be left for tomorrow. Only self-assured and independently acting people in this country can bring it towards democracy and prosperity.