Czech court to hear Lisbon challenge

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BRNO, Czech Republic, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- The Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic says it has set a date for a hearing on the proposed Lisbon Treaty.

The court, based in Brno, said Tuesday it would hold an Oct. 27 hearing on a complaint against the treaty by a group of Czech right-wing senators who contend the European Union treaty isn't compatible with the Czech constitution, the CTK news agency reported.

With the approval of the European Union treaty in an Irish referendum, the Czech Republic is the last country yet to ratify it. In the hearing, the Civic Democrat senators, Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus, representatives of the government, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate are all expected to testify, the news service said.

The hearing will come after Klaus unexpectedly demanded an opt-out from the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights -- a part of the Lisbon treaty -- for the Czech Republic, saying charter might enable Germans deported from the country after World War II to reclaim their former property on Czech soil.

The Times of London quoted unnamed sources as saying Klaus declared Sunday he will never sign the treaty, but Czech Senate chairman Premysl Sobotka told CTK that is not what the president said.