The premier of the German state of Bavaria, Horst Seehofer, arrived in Prague Sunday, for the first official visit by a Bavarian leader since 1945, according to dpa. Relations between the Czech Republic and Bavaria, across the border in southern Germany, have been strained following the expulsion of ethnic Germans from the former Czechoslovakia after World War II. Seehofer's visit is therefore seen as a breakthrough. After the war, Bavaria accepted many of the expellees, also known as Sudeten Germans. The thorny issue was the main reason why Seehofer's predecessors have avoided Prague not only during the Cold War but also after Communism fell in then Czechoslovakia in 1989. Diplomats in Prague aim to focus Seehofer's two-day visit on the future rather than on the painful past. Czech and Bavarian leaders are likely not to discuss post-war presidential decrees, under which the Sudeten Germans were deported and their property seized. While Bavarian leaders want those decrees abolished, their Czech counterparts have kept them on the books to avoid potential property claims by the deportees or their heirs. Seehofer's delegation includes Bernd Posselt, a representative of the expelled Germans who is seen as a controversial figure in the Czech Republic. The Bavarian delegation is first set to dine with Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg. Seehofer is also due meet his Czech counterpart, Petr Necas, on Monday for talks.
