Czech President Vaclav Klaus Caught Stealing Sebastian Pinera's Pen In Chile (VIDEO)

Could Czech President Václav Klaus be a kleptomaniac?

That's the question on a lot of minds after Klaus met up with Chilean President Sebastian Piñera for an official visit over the weekend, and Czech TV reporters caught Klaus discretely stealing the official pen used during the session on camera.

Watch video of Klaus' not-so-sneaky endeavor below:

Comments

[JohanHimm68 Johan]

05:00 PM on 05/07/2011

The protocol says those who SIGNED a treaty can be offered a protocol pen. The second, less decorum-observing option, is that the visiting signatory takes the pen.

BUT Klaus didn't sign anything (Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Karel Schwrarzenberg, did and he didn't get nor he took it). Klaus, who cane on the stage with the Chillean President afterward has no right to the pen. His kleptomatic nature took over him, rolling TV cameras regardless.

There is also no record from Klaus or his office that he either gave or offer the pen to Mr. Schwartzenberg. On a contrary, after he return from Chile back home and Internet was abuzz with his demonstration of Czech "privatization", he told the media and college students in Brno where he visited a university that "This was just a plain ball pen," trying amateurishly "damage control".

Sadly, American right, Rep. J. Barton (R-TX), Koch bros' Cato Institute, The Heritage Foundation and Glenn Beck love him. They ignore the fact that they are in one bed with other Klaus' admirers: Czech communists who NEVER criticize him, a supposed thatcherite and conservative) and Communist MPs' caucus twice casted decisive votes putting him twice (2003 and 2008) into office and with Putin they have in Klaus the favorite noise maker againd EU integration.

To see Glenn Beck and Klaus pat each other on back see YouTube interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHYvuOLvRRM
For those two 'giants' Stalinism = facsism = environmental protection etc.

[Veselin]

07:03 PM on 04/20/2011

I think he has lots of practice pocketing souvenirs. Acting so nonchalantly. Though he must have figured it was a souvenir, he did act somewhat guilty, since he tried to hide what he was doing.

[RobertoAlba]

02:22 PM on 04/15/2011

LOL, this is so funny. Although it may have taken it as a souvenir anyways. I like the way he played it off...

[mmkay]

09:53 AM on 04/15/2011

I'm disappointed. I was hoping for something serious enough to warrant a headline like, "The Czech is in the Jail."

[nenitaB]

09:44 AM on 04/15/2011

Just something to talk about. The Czech Pres. took fancy of the pen and regard it as a souvenir. No big deal .

[starkeyrj]

02:51 AM on 04/15/2011

Must have been one of those space pens that write upside down everyone wants one of them

[madrediterra]

11:20 PM on 04/14/2011

He stole the pen!

[pierre F Lherisson]

07:33 PM on 04/14/2011

All the Czech that I have met in the past was honest and industrious people. I am neither an ethnologist nor an expert in matters pertaining to consuetudinal formalities or etiquette of the Czech Republic but I believe it is customary for the Czech to keep the pen after signing a treaty. The Check-Chilean diplomatic fiasco depending on how one’s assess and evaluate the event, could have been adverted if the Czech President Vaclav Klaus staff was more meticulous on the customs of the host country. This case shows that the Chilean government is diplomatically inept and risked to lose several millions dollars in commercial agreement over a pen that probably cost less than fifty dollars. That was a petty reaction by a petty government.

[YOKEL13]

04:53 PM on 04/14/2011

Aw! That was kind of sweet! Actually, the theft was a commission from Lindsey.

[MM MM]

02:22 PM on 04/14/2011

I just love this guy. Very smooth and very professional...

[paxangelicus]

08:54 AM on 04/14/2011

:-D i thought it's just a clip from SNL! or some gag show! hahahahaha.

[jockharrington]

08:52 AM on 04/14/2011

Many years ago, I used to date a girl from Czech Republic; I once lent her a pen when she was visiting and I never saw it again !!!

[YOKEL13]

04:55 PM on 04/14/2011

One of the twenty-five cent Bics? What does she owe you by now with interest? $2?

[tonyjim]

02:05 AM on 04/14/2011

Czech Please!
A sly move for a Czech mate.
It was just a bad Czech...
I got nothing, anybody else?

[cliffhammond]

03:33 AM on 04/14/2011

Czech bounced our to Chili.

[Corey Murphy]

08:36 AM on 04/14/2011

Czech that out,
President needs to Czech himself before he wrecks himself,
he needed that pen to Czech out,
he paid for it with a rain Czech.

[reality-czech]

12:27 AM on 04/14/2011

This is just another piece of idiotic manufactured "news". Take a look on the desk in front of the Chilean President. There is an identical pen case sitting open in front of his microphone. Obviously, they were both presented with pens. The Czech President merely took his out of the case and put it in his pocket.

[JohanHimm68 Johan]

12:26 AM on 04/14/2011

Nicolae Ceaucescu – the infamous Romanian communist dictator, who died in an awful way, being shot along with his czarizina wife - was stealing utensils from the residency for visiting foreign dignitaries in Versailles, France.

This Czech "privatizer", Vaclav Klaus, is "privatizing" a pen .... in a live broadcast, for the world to see.

[SpuriusLartius]

11:14 AM on 04/14/2011

I had forgotten all about "The Genius of the Carpathians".