已故捷克共和國總統遺體被安放

Flags flew at half staff as the body of former Czech president Vaclav Havel was taken to Prague Castle, where he will lie in state ahead of his funeral on Friday. Thousands of people lined the streets of old town Prague as the late president's body was transported to the castle. Many people applauded as the hearse made its way through the mourners, many dressed in black. The procession marks the start of a three day period of mourning.

Leaders from around the world will gather to honor the dissident playwright and former president. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Israeli President Shimon Peres, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy are among the leaders expected to attend Mr. Havel's funeral on Friday. The former Czech leader died in his sleep of respiratory problems Sunday at the age of 75. Mr. Havel, a dissident playwright, was his country's first democratically elected president. On taking office, he oversaw Czechoslovakia's transition to a free-market economy and democracy, as well as its peaceful 1993 division into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Vaclav Havel was the president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992 , and the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003.前捷克總統哈維爾的遺體被送往布拉格城堡，在星期五葬禮前被安放在那裏，同時，捷克降半旗致哀。這位已故總統的遺體被送往城堡途中，成千上萬的民衆在布拉格老城區的街道兩旁送行。許多人在靈車經過的時候鼓掌致敬，許多人身着黑色衣服。這個送葬儀式標誌着爲期3天的悼念活動開始。

來自世界各國的領導人將聚集在捷克，向這位持不同政見的劇作家兼前總統致哀。美國國務卿希拉里.克林頓和她的丈夫、美國前總統比爾.克林頓，以色列總統佩雷斯以及法國總統薩科齊預計都將參加哈維爾星期五的葬禮。這位前捷克領導人星期天在睡眠時因呼吸問題去世，享年75歲。哈維爾是一名持不同政見的劇作家，也是捷克第一任民選總統。他上臺後，主持了捷克斯洛伐克轉變爲自由市場經濟和民主制度的過程，另外，該國在1993年和平解體爲捷克共和國和斯洛伐克。哈維爾在1989到1992年擔任捷克斯洛伐克總統，在1993到2003年擔任捷克共和國總統。