Czechs won't stop Slovaks from seceding : Havel

NEW YORK, July 8: Czechoslovakian President Vaclav Havel has said in an interview with Newsweek International that the Czechs would not hinder the Slovaks if they wanted to secede, reports Reuter.

Havel was quoted as saying in Prague last week that, if a referendum were held, it looked as if a majority of Slovaks would opt to remain in the common federal state. "Even if the improbable happens and they decide for an independent state, the separation must take place in a constitutional manner," Havel said. "It is not the case that Czechs would prevent Slovaks from becoming independent if they want that." The interview is published in the Newsweek edition available today.