Minister does not rule out Canada could reimpose visas on Czechs

Czech Interior Minister Ivan Langer does not rule out that Canada might reintroduce visa requirements for Czechs in reaction to the growing number of Czech asylum seekers, Langer said in a debate on Czech Television (CT) today.

"I can’t rule it out, this could naturally happen," Langer (Civic Democrats, ODS) said.

Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek (ODS) said in late August that the present visa-free regime is not jeopardised.

Langer said it is the government’s duty to do its best to prevent the reintroduction of visas by Canada.

Ottawa did this already once, in 1997, due to a wave of Czech Romany migrants seeking Canadian asylum.

It abolished the visa requirements again last November. The number of Czech asylum seekers has been increasing since.

According to Dzamila Stehlikova (Greens), Czech minister for human rights and minorities, 466 Czech Romanies asked for Canadian asylum from last November to mid-July 2008.

If the number exceeded 500, the quota set by Ottawa would be broken and Canada could reintroduce visa requirements for Czechs, Stehlikova told reporters on Friday.

Langer would not say how the Czech government would react in case Canada took the step or whether it would reciprocally impose visa duty on Canadian citizens.

"We’d have to consider this, as the principle of reciprocity, which we require from and apply to the USA, for example, would have to be observed in the case of Canada as well. This means there would have to be a reaction from the Czech side," Langer said.

He said it is necessary to provide Canada with as much information as possible and also intensify bilateral negotiations so that Canada considers the Czech Republic as a country of safe origin, where "there exist no reasons for anyone to leave and apply for asylum [abroad]."