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1 Slovak news compiled from wire services, U. S. press, RFE/RL, and other sources University of Pittsburgh, PA Slovak Studies Program, 1417 CL MARTIN VOTRUBA S L O V A K N E W S Monday Sunday, 30 November 6 December 1998 Sunday, 6 December Cabinet Left Reacts to Cabinet Right s Rejection of Policy Statement 3 Presidential Hopeful Schuster Defends No Vote on Cabinet Program 3 Germany, France Oppose Fast-tracking Slovakia for EU 4 U.S. DemNet Program Awards $21,140 to Nine Slovak NGOs 4 91 Registered Political Parties in Slovakia 4 Minister of Labor Magvaši in High-Unemployment Rimavská Sobota 5 East-Central European Social Democrats Adopt Declaration 5 Saturday, 5 December Slovakia Wants Fewer Russian Arms as Debt Repayment 5 Slovaks Trust Key Left, Right Parties to Respect Democratic Rule 6 70% Slovaks Want to Join EU, 48% NATO 6 Budapest Congratulates Slovak Radio s Ethnic Hungarian Service 6 Košice Mayor Schuster Favorite for President 7 Friday, 4 December EU-Slovak Parliament Committee Keen on New Assessment of Slovakia 7 Austrian Greens File Case against Slovak Nuclear Plant 7 Former Premier Mečiar Not to Stand for Presidency 8 Slovaks 11 th Healthiest in Europe 8 Most Slovaks Prefer an Integrated Slovak Democratic Coalition 9 Trade Unions Slam Government Economic Plans 9 New Slovak Press Agency TASR Director Sees Cuts 9 Bilingual School Report Card Supporters Get Jobs Back 9 Amnesty International Demo for Change to Civilian Military Service 10 Košice TV Director Denies Censorship of Priest Speeches 10 Slovak Info on Explosives to Help Solve Budapest Mafia Murders 10

2 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 2 Thursday, 3 December European Parliament for Early Talks with Slovakia 11 EU-Slovak Integration Chiefs Satisfied with Nod from Brussels 11 EU-Slovak Integration Chief Sees a Job Well Done 12 Premier Dzurinda Vows Not to Cancel Beneš Decrees 12 Delayed Local Election Campaign Begins 13 Dissatisfied Journalists Dish Media Policy 13 Culture Minister Sees Layoffs as De-politicizing Department 13 Former Culture Minister Feels Shadowed 14 SDĽ MP Fico Meets U.S. Helsinki Commissioner Schlager in Washington 14 Ambassador Johnson Offers U.S. Banking Advice to Slovakia 14 Gypsies Seek More than Money for World War II Persecution 15 Wednesday, 2 December Slovak Parliament Backs New Government Policy Statement 15 Premier Dzurinda Angered at Some Coalition MPs Votes 16 Equal Funding for State, Church Schools to Be Considered 16 Presidential Candidate Schuster Failed to Vote for New Government 17 Majority MPs Reject Opposition s Call for Direct Presidential Elections 17 Government Renews Bilingual School Report Cards 17 European Commission to Stall European MPs Support for Slovakia 17 European Commission Sees Spring as Too Soon to Judge Slovak Changes 18 Bratislava Abolishes Wage Controls 18 Foreign Minister Wants Slovakia to Catch Up with EU, NATO 18 Tuesday, 1 December European Parliament to Help Slovakia s Early Integration 19 Prosecutor General Valo Complains to Council of Europe 20 Despite Clashes, Ethnic Hungarian Party Supports Its Coalition Cabinet 20 Hungary-Slovakia to Build Bridge while Danube Dam Row Lingers 20 Slovak Power Plants Laud Nuclear Power 21 Volkswagen Approves Investment Plans for Slovakia 22 Volkswagen Plant in Martin to Employ 1, Roma Denied Residence Permits in Slovak Town 22 Town of Jeľšava Breaks Law to Keep Roma Out 23 Košice Ironworks Board Vice Chairman Resigns 23

3 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 3 New Government s Apology to Church for Predecessor s Attacks 24 Mountaineer to Return Premier Mečiar s Award 24 Commissioner for U.S. Heritage Abroad Visits Slovak Culture Minister 25 Slovakia Joins EU Protest over Malaysia 25 Monday, 30 November Slovaks for EU and NATO Membership 25 Finance Minister Schmognerová Outlines Planned Austerity Measures 26 Vice-premier Mikloš on Unpopular Economy Regulations 27 Presidential Candidate Sees Coalition Partners Plot Against Him 27 Lack of Finances Forces Military to Halt Training 28 Slovakia Backs Czech Military Watching Illegal Aliens on Joint Border 28 Radio Free Europe Editor to Be Vice-Premier Mikloš s PR 28 Slovak, Czech Culture Ministers Resume Culture Property Split Talks 29 Copper Price Drop Hits Slovak Foundry 29 Slovak, Czech Orthodox Churches Split 29 Slovenka and Život are Slovakia s Most Widely Read Weeklies 30 Sunday, 6 December 1998 CABINET LEFT REACTS TO CABINET RIGHT S REJECTION OF POLICY STATEMENT Bratislava If the caucus of the Slovak Democratic Coalition (SDK) dissolves, then it would be legitimate that the post of the premier be transferred to the strongest parliamentary party. It is hard to say whether in such a situation the strongest party in parliament would be the Party of the Democratic Left (SDĽ), said Ľubomír Fogaš, Vice-Premier for Legislation and SDĽ Vice-Chairman, on TV Markíza evening news on Sunday. Fogaš was commenting on the tension within the governing coalition kindled after Justice Minister Ján Čarnogurský voted against the cabinet s policy statement. Fogaš said, at the moment, he would, in no way, intends to cast doubt on the functioning of the current cabinet. SDĽ s stance on Čarnogurský s remaining in office will be decided by the party s political leadership, he said. (TASR) PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL SCHUSTER DEFENDS NO VOTE ON CABINET PROGRAM Košice [ ] Rudolf Schuster, Chair of the Party of Civic Understanding (SOP) and Mayor of Košice, in an interview with TASR on Sunday [ ] commented on relations within the governing coalition, in particular, following the recent parliamentary vote on

4 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 4 the cabinet s policy statement. In this connection, Schuster dismissed allegations that the SOP MPs intended to cast doubt on it. Concerning his absence during the final ballot on the policy statement, Schuster said was delayed due to a debate with a reporter. He said he was surprised by the unexpected vote initiated by MPs of the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) regarding the establishment of a Catholic University, a Concordat with the Vatican, and the financing of ecclesiastical schools. However, I see nothing amiss in their views. Such things are done when an opponent is capable of exploiting the situation they can appropriate someone s opinion when they know that it will work, Schuster said. [ ] (TASR) GERMANY, FRANCE OPPOSE FAST-TRACKING SLOVAKIA FOR EU Brussels The speed of expansion: The EU is negotiating with Cyprus, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Estonia but refuses to set an entry date. The Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy do not want a divided Cyprus in at all. Preliminary talks have begun with Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. The European Commission says Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovakia have done so well they should join the fast-track talks. Germany and France oppose that. (AP) U.S. DEMNET PROGRAM AWARDS $21,140 TO NINE SLOVAK NGOS Bratislava As part of the Democracy Network Program (DemNet), the U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia Ralph Johnson announced the contributions of US$21,140 to nine nonprofit Slovak organizations. DemNet is financed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in cooperation with its Slovak partners, the Embassy s press service told TASR on Sunday. (TASR) 91 REGISTERED POLITICAL PARTIES IN SLOVAKIA Bratislava 91 political parties 68 named parties and 23 named movements are currently registered with the Section of Public Administration at the Ministry of the Interior; meanwhile, six Christian Social Union (KSÚ), New Agrarian Party (NAS), Slovak Green Alternative (SZA), Party of Slovak Entrepreneurs and Tradesmen (SPŽ) and Social Democracy (SD) are currently being dissolved. The latest political subject entered on the list is Slovak Restoration Movement (SHO), which was registered on 13 November The statutory representative of the movement, which is based in Banská Bystrica, is Ján Dráždik. The condition for registration of a political subject is a proposal for registration submitted by a steering committee of at least three members. A petition for founding the political party signed by at least 1,000 citizens, a proposal of the party s statues, and a receipt of the fee of 1,000 crowns must be submitted along with the aforementioned proposal. Ministry of the Interior will usually make a decision on the proposal

5 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 5 within 15 days. If everything is in accordance with the required legislative arrangements, the political subject is entered on the list and it becomes a legal entity. (TASR) MINISTER OF LABOR MAGVAŠI IN HIGH-UNEMPLOYMENT RIMAVSKÁ SOBOTA Rimavská Sobota Slovak Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and the Family Peter Magvaši visited Rimavská Sobota County (Banská Bystrica District) on Sunday. [ ] They discussed the issue of unemployment in Rimavská Sobota district, which is the highest in Slovakia at over 30%, and how to resolve the problem. Even though in the period of the last eight years 1. 5 billion crowns was spent in support of employment policy in the district, positive results did not come. [ ] (TASR) EAST-CENTRAL EUROPEAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATS ADOPT DECLARATION Prague The two-day 2 nd Central European Forum of Social Democrats ended in Prague on Sunday with the approval of the final Prague Declaration. A delegation from the Party of the Democratic Left (SDĽ) and the Slovak Social Democratic Party (SDSS) also took part in the forum along with delegations from the host country the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD), Hungary the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP), Poland the Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland (SdRP) and Slovenia the United List of Social Democrats (ZLSD). (TASR) [The participants welcomed the current political changes in Slovakia. M.V.] Saturday, 5 December 1998 SLOVAKIA WANTS FEWER RUSSIAN ARMS AS DEBT REPAYMENT Moscow At the end of his short working visit to Russia, State Secretary of the Slovak Finance Ministry Vladimír Podstranský briefed on Slovakia s new approach concerning the settlement of the Russian debt ([inherited from the former Soviet Union M.V.] currently about US$1.2 billion) to Slovakia. He said the essence of the new approach lies in the restriction of Russian military equipment supplies to Slovakia as repayment of the outstanding debt. [ ] According to Podstranský, the Russian military equipment supplies to Slovakia represented about 50-60% of the total debt in Podstranský said that the change in Slovakia s approach would mean a gradual decrease in the supply of Russian military equipment and an increase in the supply of fuels, in particular, natural gas. According to Slovak officials, the debt is also expected to be settled through cooperation in science and technology. (TASR)

6 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 6 SLOVAKS TRUST KEY LEFT, RIGHT PARTIES TO RESPECT DEMOCRATIC RULE Bratislava According to a 3-10 November opinion poll carried out by the Focus agency on the respect of parliamentary parties for democratic principles and their observation, some 52.1% of respondents believe that the Party of the Democratic Left (SDĽ) adheres to democratic rules. The SDĽ was followed by the Slovak Democratic Coalition (SDK) with 45.7%, 40.7% favored the Party of Civic Understanding (SOP), 32.4% the Slovak National Party (SNS), 28.4% the Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK), and 27.2% the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS). The 1,052 respondents were also canvassed on parties disrespect for democratic rules. 56.1% of them placed HZDS in the first position, and SMK was viewed as nondemocratic by 37%. SNS finished third (36.5%), followed by SDK (27.1%), SOP (23.6%), and SDĽ (19.6%). About 16.7% of respondents could not judge whether the HZDS disobeys democratic principles or not, In the case of the SDK it was 27.2%, SDĽ 28.3%, SMK 33.7%, SNS 31.1%, and SOP 35.7%. (TASR) 70% SLOVAKS WANT TO JOIN EU, 48% NATO Bratislava 70% Slovaks support joining the European Union (EU) and 48% want Slovakia to join NATO according to an opinion poll carried out by the Focus agency on 3-10 November. 1,052 respondents were canvassed. The Secretariat of the Slovak Democratic Coalition (SDK) party supplied TASR with this information on Saturday. 37% of Slovakia s citizens absolutely agree with Slovakia s accession to the EU and 21.8% with the entry to NATO. According to the poll, 32.6% of respondents rather agree with Slovakia s EU accession. Thus, 69.6% of citizens had a positive standpoint towards this issue, in contrast with the negative standpoint held by 16.7% of respondents, including 4.8% strongly disagreeing with the accession. Some 13.8% of the asked were not able to answer the question. Regarding NATO, a total of 48.2% of Slovaks agree with their country s accession, 36% are against, including 15.6% strongly rejecting this issue, and 15.8% were unable to answer. (TASR) BUDAPEST CONGRATULATES SLOVAK RADIO S ETHNIC HUNGARIAN SERVICE Budapest I fairly hope that the Hungarian Service of Slovak Radio will remain loyal to its noble tradition and through hard work it will serve the development of the Hungarian political culture in Slovakia, thus contributing to the enrichment of Hungarian spiritual values and the promotion of sincere relations between Slovakia and Hungary, reads a letter of congratulations sent to Slovak Radio s ethnic Hungarian editors by Zsolt Németh, State Secretary of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, on the occasion of the 70 th anniversary of their broadcasts on Saturday. Németh described the representation of politicians of the ethnic Hungarian society in the Slovak Cabinet as evidence of Slovakia s in-

7 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 7 terest in a speedy integration in European institutions. According to the Hungarian News Agency (MTI), Slovak Vice Premier Pál Csáky from the ethnic Hungarian SMK party also greeted the desk editors and the radio listeners on behalf of the Slovak Cabinet. The Hungarian broadcasting by Slovak Radio started in December 1928 in Košice, East Slovakia. Since then, the desk has broadcast daily, except during World War II and a short post-war period (until 1948). In an interview with MTI, the Editor-in-Chief of Slovakia s ethnic Hungarian broadcasts, Sándor Papp, said that though at present the they broadcast 43 hours a week, he believed that their transmission hours will be extended. It would be ideal if our programs were aired non-stop, he said, adding that it was not impossible. (TASR) KOŠICE MAYOR SCHUSTER FAVORITE FOR PRESIDENT Bratislava The Focus agency carried out an opinion poll on 3-10 November, asking 1,052 respondents on their support for potential candidates for direct presidential election. Košice Mayor Rudolf Schuster would receive 33.9% of votes, and the same number of people would not vote for him. If Schuster was a presidential candidate 8. 7% of respondents would not cast their votes and 23.5% are undecided. Some 26.5% of respondents would vote for former Premier Vladimír Mečiar and approximately 54.4% would not. If Mečiar stood as a presidential candidate, 8.4% would not take part in the election, and 10.7% are undecided. Concerning the upcoming municipal elections, about 46.5% of respondents would definitely take part, with 32.5% saying rather yes, 4.5% rather not, and 2.9% definitely not. Some 10.7% were undecided. (TASR) Friday, 4 December 1998 EU-SLOVAK PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE KEEN ON NEW ASSESSMENT OF SLOVAKIA Bratislava Thursday s European Parliament resolution, asking the European Commission to draft a new report on Slovakia following the political changes there, was a clear success of Slovak foreign policy, Peter Weiss, the co-chairman of the joint EU-Slovak Parliamentary Committee, told journalists today. This confirmed that the new course, adopted after the September elections, was right, he added. We want a new assessment of the situation in Slovakia and it would be good if it were completed before the German presidency of the EU ended, Weiss s counterpart in the committee Herbert Bösch said. AUSTRIAN GREENS FILE CASE AGAINST SLOVAK NUCLEAR PLANT Vienna The Appellate Court in Vienna has started dealing with a civil action filed by the Austrian Greens against the Slovenské elektrárne (SE) national power company as the operator of the hazardous Mochovce nuclear plant, the Austrian daily Kurier writes

8 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 8 today. The plant threatens the lives and health of Austrians, the Greens said. The action was designed to obtain a preemptive ruling on the strength of which the SE s assets in the EU could be immediately confiscated if there were a nuclear accident, the paper writes. There is no need to wait until something happens, the Austrian Greens lawyer Thomas Prader said. Two questions could be answered already: how big was the danger stemming from Mochovce and how likely the accident was, he added. FORMER PREMIER MEČIAR NOT TO STAND FOR PRESIDENCY Bratislava Former authoritarian Slovak Premier Vladimír Mečiar announced Friday he will not stand for the country s presidency and said he plans to leave public life for solitude. The 56-year-old, ousted in September ballots by a four-party coalition, said he would fulfill his duties to his Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) party before standing down. I will not be a candidate for the post of the Slovak president and in the future I will not be a candidate for any state post, he said in a statement, scotching speculation about his political aspirations. Within a period of time which I will decide, I will give up public life for solitude, he added, saying he wanted to fulfill my duties to the HZDS voters. He did not elaborate. Mečiar, who led the country almost uninterrupted since it split from the Czech Republic in 1993, was widely blamed from Bratislava s rejection for the first wave of European Union candidates, as well as NATO. He was succeeded as premier by Mikuláš Dzurinda, who has pledged to make EU and NATO membership his key foreign policy objectives. Former President Michal Kováč, Mečiar s arch-rival who ended his five-year mandate in March with no elected successor, has already said he will stand again, as has Rudolf Schuster, mayor of Slovakia s second largest city, Košice, and head of the Party of Civic Understanding (SOP), a member of the ruling coalition. The presidential election is expected to be held early next year. (AFP) SLOVAKS 11 TH HEALTHIEST IN EUROPE London Sweden, Finland, and Norway are the healthiest countries in Europe, thanks to good community medicine and public health programs, according to a survey published on Friday. Italy and Greece, with their Mediterranean diets and low levels of heart disease, are not far behind, along with Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, France, and the Netherlands which round off the top 10. [Slovakia ranked 11 th out of the 35 rated countries, ahead of its ex-communist neighbors, as well as of most EU members including Britain (14 th ), Germany (16 th ), and Denmark (20 th ). M. V.] The survey was prepared for Healthcare Europe, a new quarterly magazine for health professionals. It gave each country a score based on 14 key health indicators including death rates, life expectancy, childhood mortality, tobacco consumption and

9 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 9 chronic and infectious diseases. [ ] Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine, Latvia, and Russia had the poorest ratings in the survey. (Reuters) MOST SLOVAKS PREFER AN INTEGRATED SLOVAK DEMOCRATIC COALITION Bratislava One of the questions in the Focus poll (carried out on 3-10 November on 1,052 respondents and provided by the SDK, Slovak Democratic Coalition, office) regarded the opinion of the public on the further functioning of the SDK. 35.3% of respondents decisively agreed that SDK can fulfill the goals of the election program as one party better than separated into the individual parties which had formed SDK. Another 22% rather agreed with this opinion, 5.4% rather not, 3.1% certainly not, and 34.2% did not know or it did not matter to them. The view that the political parties which formed the SDK could independently fulfill the goals of SDK election program and therefore its existence after the elections is useless was certainly agreed on by 3% of those questioned, while 6.5% rather agreed, 29.7 rather disagreed, 22.6% certainly disagreed, 37% of respondents did not know or it did not matter to them, and 1.2% did not answer. (TASR) TRADE UNIONS SLAM GOVERNMENT ECONOMIC PLANS Trenčianske Teplice We consider some of the government s members statements about the economic package unfortunate. The concrete numbers were mentioned and dates on which these arrangements should become valid, without prior consultations with the social partners, said Trenčín District Trade Union Confederation President Vladimír Toman. [ ] (TASR) NEW SLOVAK PRESS AGENCY TASR DIRECTOR SEES CUTS Bratislava The agency cannot avoid some cutbacks. My ambitions and efforts are to maintain the quality of the final product that the customers receive, notwithstanding the cutbacks, said newly-appointed TASR Director-General Ivan Čeredejev in an interview for the agency on Friday. The changes in the agency stem from the new economic conditions and lower financial appropriations, he said. [ ] He said he won the competition because he had agency experience, had worked at TASR from its start-up six years ago, knew its internal structure, and was the founder of its international desk. I also helped found SITA and I have worked as a German Press Agency (DPA) reporter since I think you can hardly find a person with such experience. [ ] (TASR) BILINGUAL SCHOOL REPORT CARD SUPPORTERS GET JOBS BACK Komárno We want to let the entire democratic world to know that the new Slovak democratic government wishes to carry out concrete steps aimed at tackling unresolved problems, said Vice- premier for Human and Minority Rights and Regional Develop-

10 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 10 ment Pál Csáky in Komárno, Nitra District, on Friday. He was referring to the reappointments of the principals Lajos Varga and František Novák from elementary schools with Hungarian language instruction in Búč and Bátorove Kosihy who were sacked under the previous government earlier this year over their protest against Slovakonly report cards. [ ] Csáky described his government s adoption of the legislation on bilingual report cards as a vital signal in the run-up to the summit of the European Union on December in Vienna. Varga and Novák were dismissed on 15 March by thethen Komárno County Chief Ernest Macho, now replaced by Margit Keszeghová, r allegedly on labor law-related grounds. [ ] Csáky presented Varga and Novák with 10,000 crowns each. Csáky thus made good on his promise given upon the taking his oath of office that he would give up a portion of his first salary to these school principals. (TASR) AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL DEMO FOR CHANGE TO CIVILIAN MILITARY SERVICE Košice Dozens of demonstrators requested the cancellation of the 30-day limit (between establishing a conscript s ability to perform military service and classification as to whether it will be military or civilian) set by the Parliamentary Act on Civilian Military 207/1995, Coll. The demonstration took place in front of the Regional State Library in Košice on Friday. The demonstration was organized by Amnesty International Slovakia. [ ] (TASR) KOŠICE TV DIRECTOR DENIES CENSORSHIP OF PRIEST SPEECHES Košice Marian Kleis, director of the Košice studio of government-sponsored STV (Slovak Television), today dismissed an accusation of censorship made against him by the pro-mečiar newspaper Slovenská republika. The daily based the accusation on the cancellation of the broadcasting of a regular 10-minute speech by Catholic clergyman Anton Hlinka recently. Kleis told ČTK that the cancellation of the program should by no means be seen as censorship, because the three speeches concerned had already been broadcast in (ČTK) SLOVAK INFO ON EXPLOSIVES TO HELP SOLVE BUDAPEST MAFIA MURDERS Budapest Modern Hungary s worst bombing, which killed four and injured 25 in July, may be solved after Slovakia provided fresh clues in the case on Friday when the two country s new interior ministers met for the first time. We found a company in Slovakia that produces explosives of the same chemical composition as the one used in the bombing, Slovak Minister of the Interior Ladislav Pittner told a news conference held with his Hungarian counterpart Sándor Pintér. A car bomb killed police informer and restaurateur József Big Tom Boros and three others on 2 July shortly before noon in Budapest, just off the main Váci Street shopping district. The July attack was part of a suspected Mafia-

11 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 11 type turf war that saw over 100 bombings in the last three years in Hungary, but police so far have made very little progress in the cases. [ ] (Reuters) Thursday, 3 December 1998 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT FOR EARLY TALKS WITH SLOVAKIA Brussels The European Parliament today voted for a proposal by EPM Jan Marinus Wiersma who called on the European Commission to assess the situation in Slovakia earlier than in a year. This will enable the Parliament to make a decision on the beginning of talks with Slovakia on its accession to the European Union to be taken in the first half of next year. However, the European commission has raised doubts about the possibility of speeding up the talks with Bratislava. Slovakia was not included in the first group of countries seeking EU membership for its failure to fulfill the political criteria for EU membership, set at its summit in Copenhagen. However, the new Slovak government, which emerged from the September parliamentary elections, has made it quite clear that it would seek to correct shortcomings as soon as possible. EU-SLOVAK INTEGRATION CHIEFS SATISFIED WITH NOD FROM BRUSSELS Brussels European Parliament (EP) Correspondent for Slovakia Jan-Marinus Wiersma and EU-Slovakia Joint Parliamentary Committee Co-chairman Herbert Bösch, in an interview for TASR, expressed their satisfaction with the final text of the resolution approved by the EP on Thursday. In the resolution, the EP asks the European Commission (EC) to re-evaluate the situation in Slovakia as early as the spring of The approved amendments made the resolution sound more positive than its original proposal, said Bösch, who left for a meeting of the joint parliamentary committees office in Bratislava right after the resolutions approval. Wiersma is not surprised by EU Commissioner Hans van den Broek s answer that it would be very difficult to re-evaluate the economic situation in Slovakia this spring, because the answer reflects EC s procedural framework. Wiersma admitted that EPs request for re-evaluating the situation in Slovakia sooner than one year does not guarantee that the Commission will submit the report in spring. He himself will ask the Netherlands government to support the request at the Vienna summit. Wiersma emphasized that the EP is asking the European Council to have a flexible approach exclusively toward Slovakia. According to him, Lithuania, and Latvia, for example, did not get such preferential treatment. (TASR)

12 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 12 EU-SLOVAK INTEGRATION CHIEF SEES A JOB WELL DONE Bratislava Differences in opinion between the European Commission and the European Parliament (EP), especially regarding your country, also existed in the past. But now we have taken a decision you could have expected. It is very close to what your parliament has this week adopted. We have done our job as EP parliamentarians and now the ball is in the Council of Europe s court, Co-chairman of the Joint EU-Slovak Parliamentary Committee Herbert Bösch told journalists in Bratislava on Thursday regarding Thursdays EP resolution in Brussels. The resolution urges the European Commission to reconsider its opinion on Slovakia in a way that would enable the European Union to approve Slovakia s inclusion in talks in the first half of Bösch does not think that there will be any major decision regarding the first round of the Unions enlargement at that time. He is confident that the EP decision will facilitate a new evaluation of Slovakia in the light of recent developments as early as Germany s EU presidency (ending 30 June 30). Regarding the negotiation process, Bösch said we do know there are difficulties and different interests affecting individual member countries. This is not only about Slovakia and the enlargement process as such as the Union is always a work in progress. Opportunity windows are at one time opened less and another time more. The great support coming from EP Correspondent for Slovakia Jan-Marinus Wiersma can be said to be a clear sign of where the EP stands in this respect, he stressed. (TASR) PREMIER DZURINDA VOWS NOT TO CANCEL BENEŠ DECREES Bratislava Premier Mikuláš Dzurinda today dismissed the opposition s fears that ethnic Hungarian politicians wanted to indirectly cancel the Beneš decrees which sanctioned the punishment of Hungarian traitors after World War Two, using the principle of collective guilt. The question cannot be reopened because it was deeply anchored in our coalition agreements, said Dzurinda, answering to a verbal question from opposition deputies. They say that the Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK), a minor governing coalition member, wants to redistribute the land in southern Slovakia which was confiscated after the war under the Beneš decrees through the domination of the Slovak Land Fund (SPF). Peter Brňák from the opposition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) said that under the policy statement the SPF would transfer some land to the ownership of towns and villages which would be allowed to redistribute it. Ján Cuper (HZDS) said that this is one of the ways in which land in southern Slovakia will get into the hands of primarily Hungarian ethnics/nationals.

13 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 13 DELAYED LOCAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN BEGINS Bratislava Dec 3 - Local election campaign was officially launched in Slovakia today, fifteen days before the polls which will decide on leaderships of about 3,000 towns. Local elections were originally to take place on November, but the Constitutional Court s finding that some provisions in the election law were at odds with the constitution has forced the parliament to postpone the elections through prolonging the current town councils term of office several weeks ago. DISSATISFIED JOURNALISTS DISH MEDIA POLICY Bratislava A one-day members assembly of the Association of Slovak Journalists (ZSN) 1 commenced at Doprastav (road constructing company) in Bratislava on Thursday. It opened with a detailed extensive analysis of the situation in the Slovak media by ZSN Chairman Ján Smolec, ZSN Chancellor Roman Kaliský-Hronský, and ZSN Vice Chairman Roman Hofbauer. Concerning this, Smolec told TASR: It is unbelievable. People who promised exemplary democracy and freedom of the press are now grossly interfering with it. It reminds me of the worst periods after 1968, in which journalists were discriminated against because of their political opinions. He mentioned the example of the priest Anton Hlinka, whose program Word for the Week was not broadcast by Slovak Television (STV) Košice. He added that it was necessary to mobilize forces and point out the Slovak situation at home as well as abroad. Smolec stressed that the association is going to propose the passing of an act on the mass media, which would include protection of editorial confidentiality. He added that the ZSN would provide legal protection to journalists who have been discriminated against. One of the associations priorities was, in his opinion, protecting Slovak statehood. (TASR) CULTURE MINISTER SEES LAYOFFS AS DE-POLITICIZING DEPARTMENT Bratislava I m neither an inquisitor nor Victor the Garbage Man, Culture Minister Milan Kňažko said today about the opposition s criticism of his personnel policy, referring to the figure of a corpse remover from a French thriller. I have not dismissed any expert, only some top management staff, because the Ministry must work for the sake of culture, not because of party ideology, financial mismanagement, and intelligence centers as it was until now, Kňažko told journalists. Shortly after his appointment Kňažko successively dismissed the directors of all 26 institutions reporting to the Culture Ministry, including all Slovak theatres. He said that pub- 1 ZSN, one of Slovakia s two journalists associations, was supportive of the ousted Mečiar government. The other association, the Slovak Syndicate Journalists, SSN, was in opposition to the Mečiar government. M.V.

14 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 14 lic searches for the posts would be carried out. The first 13 posts were to be filled by the end of the year and the rest in the first weeks of next year, within two months at the latest, Kňažko said. FORMER CULTURE MINISTER FEELS SHADOWED Bratislava Former Culture Minister Ivan Hudec threatened at today s parliamentary session to give a good kicking to the man who was allegedly shadowing him, if he did not stop. If he tries to bother me once again, I will to put it in simple Slovak words arrange for him to be given a good kicking, said Hudec. In this connection, Hudec gave out the license plate of a white Lada Niva car. SDĽ MP FICO MEETS U.S. HELSINKI COMMISSIONER SCHLAGER IN WASHINGTON Washington Slovak MP Robert Fico (SDĽ, Party of the Democratic Left) met the representative of the U.S. Congress Helsinki Commission, Erika Schlager, in Washington on Thursday. During the talks of more than two hours they exchanged opinions about the political situation in Slovakia, the situation of the Roma, and other issues. I want to emphasize, once again, that we should not underestimate the information that our partners abroad have regarding the development in Slovakia. They are very well-informed about the political scene and often have a correct evaluation of the process in Slovakia, said Fico, adding that he favors intensifying relations with this group. We also feel a certain caution, because too short a time has passed since the election for us to say that everything is all right. Slovakia now has a more favorable profile in Washington and we need to take advantage of that, said Fico. (TASR) AMBASSADOR JOHNSON OFFERS U.S. BANKING ADVICE TO SLOVAKIA Bratislava Slovak Finance Minister Brigita Schmognerová received U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia Ralph Johnson and discussed future cooperation in the bank sector restructuring and privatization. Johnson offered the help of American counselors that are currently in Hungary, and have experience with solving projects of banking sphere in transforming economics. In solving the tax policy, the US considers the connection between the tax administration with the system of social and health insurance very important. The compatibility would ensure complex watching of the financial means flow and make their use more effective. Moreover, they discussed the need for Slovakia s economic stabilization. After meeting the political criteria, Slovakia would meet all the criteria for OECD accession. According to the ambassador, the first signal should be the quick consolidation of the banking sector. Jana Tökölyová of the finance ministry spoke to TASR. (TASR)

15 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 15 GYPSIES SEEK MORE THAN MONEY FOR WORLD WAR II PERSECUTION Washington For Europe s 12 million Roma or gypsies, this week s conference in Washington on assets looted in the Holocaust goes beyond the horrors of the past. It could help redress the grievances of the present. The plunder of Europe s Jews, by far the largest group of victims, held centre stage at the three-day meeting, but the Roma, who lost between 200,000 and 500,000 members in Nazi death camps, tried to stake their own claim to justice. The main point of this conference is that the Roma should be regarded and treated equally with other victims, Jews and others, on an equal level, said Rajko Đurić, president of the International Romani Union. [ ] But on the international scene, the Roma have made some progress. The United Nations recognizes the International Romani Union, Đurić is at the Washington conference and he addressed the opening session. That s a far cry from the post-war years, when the Roma missed out on most compensation for war crimes, on the grounds that the Nazis did not persecute them as a race. The internal Nazi evidence tells a different story. In 1942 Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels asserted that Jews and Gypsies should be exterminated unconditionally. [ ] Roma scholars Donald Kenrick and Grattan Puxon estimate that 219,700 of Europe s 936,000 Roma died under Nazi rule. Đurić, with scholarly support from Gabrielle Tyrnauer and others, says the real figure to closer to half a million. [ ] The pace of recognition has quickened. The Swiss Fund for Needy Victims of the Holocaust, set up in 1997, has set aside about 33 million Swiss francs ($24 million) for non- Jews. Đurić said his union had received 15,000 applications and had organized payments to 2,000 Roma in Germany, Austria, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Macedonia. Most got between 1,000 and 2,000 francs ($730 and $1,460). [ ] (Reuters) Wednesday, 2 December 1998 SLOVAK PARLIAMENT BACKS NEW GOVERNMENT POLICY STATEMENT Bratislava The Slovak parliament on Wednesday approved the policy statement of new Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda s government, which was formed after September s general election. In the vote, which was also a vote of confidence in the new cabinet, 88 deputies in the 150-seat chamber voted for the policy statement and 50 against. There were no abstentions. Parliamentary debate on the policy statement, which had lasted for more than a week, focused mainly on the government s pledges to revitalize the economy and to put Slovakia back on track towards European Union and NATO membership.

16 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 16 The country was excluded from talks on joining both last year due to democratic shortcomings. This government s policy statement should ensure membership of Slovakia in the EU and NATO and therefore the future for the country, Dzurinda told parliament before the final vote. Dzurinda, a liberal Christian Democrat, has said the government will encourage foreign investment, restructure and then privatize banks possibly with the help of foreign capital and revive the illiquid and depressed equity market. In presenting the government policy statement to parliament, Dzurinda said he expected economic growth to slow from the current 6.1% in the first half of the government s four-year term and then revive in the second two years. (Reuters) PREMIER DZURINDA ANGERED AT SOME COALITION MPS VOTES Bratislava The vote of confidence is good news for Slovakia, Premier Mikuláš Dzurinda said after the crucial confidence vote today, but criticized those governing coalition deputies who voted with the opposition on some amendments. They were for the proposal that the cabinet s policy statement should include a chapter placing the Church educational system on an equal footing with state schools, the establishment of a Catholic university, and signing a concordat with the Vatican. The moot points were unsuccessfully advocated by Justice Minister Ján Čarnogurský, Dzurinda s rival in the ruling Christian Democrat party. Čarnogurský eventually voted against the government policy statement. EQUAL FUNDING FOR STATE, CHURCH SCHOOLS TO BE CONSIDERED Národná obroda writes that the Parliament [National Council of the Slovak Republic] approved yesterday [2 Dec.] the government policy statement and passed a vote of confidence in the government. The cabinet was endorsed by 88 deputies while 50 deputies were against. The parliament also voted on an overall resolution, which also comprised plenum-approved deputies proposals pertaining to the policy statement. One of the approved proposals was Movement for a Democratic Slovakia [HZDS] MP Peter Brňák s request that the government should address the issue of equal material conditions for Church, private, and state schools. Brňák also asked the government to establish a Catholic university and to conclude an international treaty with the Vatican, following an agreement with Roman Catholic Church dignitaries. His proposal was endorsed by 79 deputies, including 30 Slovak Democratic Coalition [SDK] deputies. The complete parliamentary resolution (comprising the vote of confidence in the government and accepted deputies proposals) was endorsed by 77 out of the 125 deputies

17 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 17 present. Members of Parliament from the [cabinet coalition] Party of Civic Understanding [SOP] (Viera Rusková, Igor Presperin, Jirko Mlachárek) either abstained or did not vote (Diana Dubovská, Peter Kresák). PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SCHUSTER FAILED TO VOTE FOR NEW GOVERNMENT Sme SOP [Party of Civic Understanding] Chairman Rudolf Schuster did not participate in the vote on the government policy statement, even though he was present in Parliament during the vote. MAJORITY MPS REJECT OPPOSITION S CALL FOR DIRECT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS Bratislava Members of Parliament from the governing coalition parties rejected an opposition proposal to adopt a constitutional law on direct presidential elections today. Parliament passed a coalition parties proposal on the same issue in the second reading. Slovakia has been without a president since 2 March when former president Michal Kováč s term expired. Parties have been unable to agree on a candidate who would win the three-fifth majority needed to elect a new president in the Slovak Parliament. The proposal, submitted by the opposition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), wanted to maintain the current powers of the president, while the president could be removed on the strength of a referendum or by a simple majority of MPs. (TASR) GOVERNMENT RENEWS BILINGUAL SCHOOL REPORT CARDS Bratislava The cabinet today approved the draft amendment to the state language law which, if adopted by parliament, will renew the bilingual school report forms issued for ethnic Hungarian schools. Bilingual report cards existed in Slovakia since Czechoslovakia s foundation in 1918, but referring to the state language law the cabinet of former Premier Vladimír Mečiar cancelled them. That sparked a wave of protests inside and outside of the country. Mečiar s ethnic policy was one of the reasons why Slovakia was removed from the list of fast-track EU candidates. EUROPEAN COMMISSION TO STALL EUROPEAN MPS SUPPORT FOR SLOVAKIA Brussels Although the European Commission welcomes efforts by Members of European Parliament headed by Jan Marinus Wiersma to speed up the inclusion of Slovakia in the first group of countries seeking EU membership, it considers the move premature. Dutch Socialist Wiersma, European Parliament Foreign Committee s Rapporteur for Slovakia, today again called on the European Commission and the Council of Ministers to adopt a more flexible stance towards Slovakia, in view of the results of the recent parlia-

18 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 18 mentary elections in Slovakia and changes aimed at the fulfillment of the Copenhagen political criteria for membership of the European Union. EUROPEAN COMMISSION SEES SPRING AS TOO SOON TO JUDGE SLOVAK CHANGES Brussels European Union Commissioner for Foreign Relations Hans van den Broek said in Brussels on Wednesday that it would be very difficult to evaluate the progress of Slovakia in developing its economy in the upcoming few months. He therefore does not support the submission of the new European Commission evaluation report as early as next spring. Van den Broek thus responded to the proposal of European Parliament Reporter Jan Marinus Wiersma, who appealed to the EC on Wednesday to evaluate the situation in Slovakia in the spring of [ ] (TASR) BRATISLAVA ABOLISHES WAGE CONTROLS Bratislava At the proposal of Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and the Family Peter Magvaši, the Slovak Government abolished the regulation of wages. [ ] (TASR) FOREIGN MINISTER WANTS SLOVAKIA TO CATCH UP WITH EU, NATO Oslo Slovakia s new government hopes it can make up for lost time and join the first round of eastwards expansion of the European Union and NATO, Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan said on Wednesday. We want to prove there s a new situation in Slovakia, that there s a government committed to the democratic development of Slovakia, Kukan told Reuters at a conference of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The ruling four-party coalition emerged victorious from September elections which ousted Vladimír Mečiar, whose authoritarian rule ensured that Slovakia was excluded from the front-runners for EU and NATO membership. But Kukan said the government was taking steps to remedy the democratic deficit which had isolated it under Mečiar. He said it was reviving laws to protect ethnic minorities, had brought Slovakia s Hungarian minority into the cabinet and had given the opposition a role in parliament. The government was also making changes to the economy, as well as the banking and legal systems, in line with EU standards, he said. When all these measures are taken into consideration, Slovakia will be back on track, Kukan said in Oslo, where he was attending a conference of the 54-nation OSCE. Kukan said the EU Commission had issued a report on Slovakia just after the election which still reflected the situation under the previous government. The government hopes the report will be revised in April, during Germany s EU presidency, which would allow Slovakia to open talks for EU entry when the presidency passes to Finland in the second

19 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 19 half of the year. We would like Germany to issue a statement that talks with Slovakia should start at the Helsinki summit during the Finnish presidency, Kukan said. Contacts with EU states had shown they welcomed the changes in Slovakia, he said, adding: But they would like to see more concrete measures to back up the statements of the government. We feel that we re back on track but we would like the EU to say it as well, Kukan said. Another foreign policy priority was to rebuild relations with Slovakia s three former communist neighbors Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic with whom it forms the Visegrád group, he said. These three countries have been invited to join NATO next year, and together with Slovenia and Estonia selected for the first round of negotiations on EU enlargement. Slovakia is keen to avoid a situation where its Visegrád partners join the EU while Slovakia stays out, disrupting trade with its neighbors. It would be a disaster if the EU border runs along Slovakia, Kukan said. Slovakia is also keen to join NATO as soon as possible after Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, due to join in next April. Slovak premier Mikuláš Dzurinda has been to Brussels twice since being elected, arguing that its armed forces are already at the same level as the other Visegrád countries. We hope that Slovakia will not fall into the second wave. We hope that there will be group 1A and a group 1B, he said. Slovakia is already cooperating with NATO in programs such as Partnership for Peace, and is contributing 15 people to monitor the truce in Yugoslavia s province of Kosovo. (Reuters) Tuesday, 1 December 1998 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO HELP SLOVAKIA S EARLY INTEGRATION Bratislava Slovakia s chances of joining the first group of EU membership candidates in the first half of 1999 should improve if the European Parliament (EP) passes a resolution on Thursday calling for a more flexible approach toward Slovakia, Dutch European MP Jan Marinus Wiersma said today. Wiersma, who is responsible for Slovakia in the EP s Foreign Committee, is the author of the resolution which also demands a new European Commission (EC) report on Slovakia to be produced in spring. Wiersma said that he expected the EP to pass the resolution which has been already passed by the Foreign Committee.

20 30 November 6 December 1998, Slovak News 20 Slovakia was left out of the first group of candidates a year ago because it did not fulfill the democratic criteria. But the changes in Slovakia call for a new attitude, Wiersma told journalists today after a meeting with his Slovak colleagues from the EU-Slovak Parliamentary Committee. PROSECUTOR GENERAL VALO COMPLAINS TO COUNCIL OF EUROPE Bratislava Prosecutor General Michal Valo today complained to Guy de Vel, the Director General of Legal Affairs of the Council of Europe, about his planned dismissal by the new cabinet headed by Mikuláš Dzurinda. Valo and de Vel said in a statement that they had discussed the amendment to the law on the Prosecutor s Office, which was designed to replace the Prosecutor General before his term expired. Valo informed de Vel that contrary to the practices in democratic countries with the rule of law, the posts of prosecutor general and his deputies have become a theme of negotiations between parties. They are to be filled by the candidates of two coalition parties who are not prosecutors, he said. DESPITE CLASHES, ETHNIC HUNGARIAN PARTY SUPPORTS ITS COALITION CABINET Bratislava According to the ethnic Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) Chairman Béla Bugár s statement provided for TASR in Bratislava on Tuesday, SMK Members of Parliament will support the policy statement of the Slovak Government, of which SMK is a member. Bugár said that the appointment of the Slovak Land Fund (SPF) Director by Agriculture Minister Pavol Koncoš was considered cause for a dispute, as well as for the tension within the ruling coalition over the past three weeks. [ ] According to Bugár, the SPF Director should be recalled. Not for the reason that a subsequent agreement has been signed, but due to the fact that he is aligned with the former ruling coalition, said Bugár, adding that SMK will propose a new candidate for this position. (TASR) HUNGARY-SLOVAKIA TO BUILD BRIDGE WHILE DANUBE DAM ROW LINGERS Budapest Hungary s foreign minister said on Tuesday that rebuilding a bridge to Slovakia was a sign that frayed relations are improving, but settlement of a dispute about a Danube dam was still far off. Foreign Minister János Martonyi said Hungary and Slovakia had taken an important step toward defusing tensions with Monday s agreement to rebuild the Mária Valéria Bridge over the Danube, blown up in World War Two and never restored. There is an agreement that the bridge will be built and that s very good, Martonyi told reporters covering a business forum in Budapest. But he added Hungary and Slovakia were still far from resolving their differences over Hungary s refusal to build its part of a hydroelectric dam on the Danube at Nagymaros, to