Perspectives summer 1994 [antikvár]

President Václav Havel Interviewed by Jacques RupnikRupnik: A new map ofEurope has emerged after the end ofthe Cold War. The concept ofEastern Europe has virtually become meaningless, although il might possibly refer to Russia; the question of the Balkans is back again; and Central Europe is once again a crossroad of geopolitical interests. Are you not afraid that somé kind of security vacuum might appear here, a kind of "no man's land" between East and West?Havel: This question does naturally occur: not only to me, not only to many Czech politicians, but alsó to politicians of neighbouring countries; and in somé countries they are concemed about it with even greater urgency than we are - for example, in Poland, in the light of their extremely bittér historical experiences with Russia and Germany. It is clear that this question is being revived in our time, and I believe that this should not be left enti-rely to somé kind of free movement. I believe that a considerable initiative ought to be dep-loyed, mainly by the West, aiming at somé new and better airangement, now that the old system, which was thoroughly anomalous, bi-polar and divisive for Europe, has collapsed. We are all glad that it has collapsed but we cannot do without a different, new and better system. And if democrats do not start to envision such a system and (ranslate it into reality, then there is the danger that others, all types of nationalists, chauvinists, populists and the like will start to translate it into reality. And this must be avoided. That is why in my public statements I frequently stress the shared responsibility of the West for a new arTangement, above all in Europe. And to somé extent, this questioning which ought to result in answers in the form of creating a new system, includes the question of the position of the Central European countries. Everything points to the fact that the societies in these countries as well as their political representatives - irrespective of whether they consider themselves to be on the Left or on the Right - agree on one point: Central Europe is a specific component of Europe as a whole, and by "Europe" they have in mind our cultural, intellectual and political traditions, represented today by the West, and they have in mind the values sym-bolised by West European integration processes. And, on the contrary, they do not feel themselves to be part of Russia's sphere of interest, of its "near abroad", and they are upset by certain sounds which have of late been heard in relation to Russia's foreign policy to the effect that there should be more specific relations between our countries and Russia, and so forth. This makes one think of somé kind of new division, and for that reason it is unaccep-table for us. We all, naturally, want to have the best possible relations with Russia. It is in the interest of the whole world and in the interest of peace that the West should have the best possible relations with Russia, anchored in somé system of treaties. Any type of new division is unthinkable. We want to have friendly relations with Russia as a part of the West European culture, and not as someone who is standing apart.Rupnik: All Central Europe today shares a fear ofthe impact of nationalist conflicts in the Balkans: that is, of the war in former Yugoslavia, and of a return to a Russian super-power policy. How do you see the situation in the Balkans? What does the continuing war in Bosnia mean for Central Europe, and particularly the fact that the borders of state enti-ties are changing according to somé kind of ethnic criterion ? What does all this mean for Central Europe, and for Europe as a whole?