Zeman speaks - but hides his face
Miloš Zeman showed proof of life yesterday by giving an interview to Jiří Ovčáček of Právo. Zeman still hasn't been seen in public since he "tripped on a rug," and the interview in today's paper serves only to partly dispel the speculation about the true state of his health. Zeman seems in the interview to be his old self (assuming the questions were in fact answered by him), which would rule out a serious stroke. But we still don't know what the recuperating president looks like. The photo run by Právo and Novinky.cz is an old one. It was apparently taken at a press conference at the Castle on Aug. 23. Health Min. Martin Holcát denied that Zeman hurt his face in the fall, but the way the president is shunning the cameras makes this seem the most likely explanation. Zeman himself quoted Jiří Dienstbier Sr. as saying that it makes no sense to try to hide something in the CR, because the truth always comes out....
Glossary of difficult words
proof of life - a phrase commonly used to indicate proof that a kidnap victim is still alive;to dispel - to make (a doubt, feeling or belief) disappear;
stroke - a sudden disabling attack or loss of consciousness caused by an interruption in the flow of blood to the brain, esp. through thrombosis;
to shun - to persistently avoid, ignore or reject.