Kmoníček and Iraq

Just as the Castle guards were giving unwarranted salutes to Vratislav Mynář as Miloš Zeman's chief of staff, some foreign diplomats insist on referring to Hynek Kmoníček as "his excellency." Kmoníček is merely head of the Castle's foreign department, unless you believe that the title of ambassador resides with someone for life. Delving into the past is a double-edged sword in Kmoníček's case, because it brings back not only his days as ambassador but also the secret trade mission he led to Iraq in Jan. 2000, when Iraq was under EU embargo. Karel Schwarzenberg praised Kmoníček as being one of the most intelligent Czech diplomats but said that the Iraq matter might be a reason for the Americans to have a lack of confidence in Kmoníček as the Czech ambassador to their country. Which raises the question: Is the Czech state's greater interest in having Kmoníček treated as "his excellency" at the Castle, or with mistrust in Washington?