With a song in his heart

Date: 08/10/1998

If the new Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman does not remain his country's leader for as long as he undoubtedly hopes, he could always try to make it as a singer.

At a press conference in Brussels last week, the jovial Social Democrat premier was asked if Slovakia could join the Czech Republic in becoming one of the front runners for EU membership.

To stress his belief that Slovakia would soon be brought into the fold, Zeman burst into song with the words of the traditional Scottish melody My Bonnie lies over the Ocean, in which a man pines for his distant lover.