It begins

You can't say that Prague isn't an exciting place to live. If ever I needed Kari's connection to all the wires at RFE/RL, it's now.

From CNN.com/Europe:

Police reveal NATO summit plot

Thursday, November 14, 2002 Posted: 1154 GMT

PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- Five "extremists" planned to cut power to a NATO summit in Prague next week, Czech police have revealed.

The plot was discovered while the five people were being interrogated, a spokeswoman told Reuters. However, she did not say whether the group was still in custody or even if they had been arrested.

The group had targeted the summit venue in the Czech capital and the metro system. The spokeswoman gave no further details.

Up to 12,000 police and soldiers are preparing, Reuters reported, for the arrival on November 21-22 of more than 40 leaders for the key meeting of the military alliance, its first since last year's September 11 attacks in New York and Washington.

Czech police aim to be tough on the expected 12,000 anti-globalisation protesters if they attempt to disrupt proceedings, especially with memories still fresh of violent clashes that caused a Prague meeting of the International Monetary Fund in 2000 to finish early.

Reuters said NATO was set to ask seven former eastern bloc countries to join the alliance at the Prague meeting and discuss plans on how to deal with terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

NATO first expanded into eastern Europe in 1999 with the admission of the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary. Romania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia and Slovakia are expected to be invited to join the alliance this time around.

Of course I know this is from CNN and usually dramaticized, but I'd be a liar if I said it didn't freak me out just a little. I just realized that I have to cross Vaclavak to get to work every day during the summit. It's going to be like IMF only funner.

HRH