Sunday, 15 December Saturday, 14 December Friday, 13 December

Transcription

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, 9-15 December 1996 Sunday, 15 December MP Accuses President Kováč of Serious Economic Offense 3 Moscow Tells Slovak Foreign Minister It Still Opposes NATO Expansion 4 General Assembly of Slovak Judges Association Ends 4 Saturday, 14 December Premier Mečiar on EU Integration 4 Premier Mečiar: Confidence in Slovak Democracy Must Be Enhanced 5 Friday, 13 December Poll HZDS Remains Strongest Party 5 Experts Estimate 1996 Slovakia s GDP Growth to Reach 7% 6 Slovak Wages Near $250 6 Slovak Parliament Discusses Protection of the Republic Law 6 Constitutional Court to Speed Up MP Gaulieder s Dismissal Case 7 Vice Premier Húska Chastises Unconfirmed Press Reporting on EU Criticism 7 Premier Mečiar Dismisses European Parliament Resolutions on Slovakia 7 Práca: Tourism as Export Goods 7 New Russian Ambassador to Slovakia 8 Czech Vice Premier Lux Renews Criticism of New Slovak Import Duty 8 Parliament Adjourned for Low MP Attendance 8 Did Slovakia Get Another Warning from the EU? 8 Premier Mečiar: Slovakia Not a Problematic Country 8 Population Growth Slows 9 Thursday, 12 December EU Calls on Slovakia to Restore MP Gaulieder s Mandate. 9 Spokeswoman Denies EU Association Agreement Cancellation Warning 10 Slovakia May Lose EU Associate Membership 10

2 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 2 Ruling HZDS Dismisses President Kováč s Speech to Parliament 10 Opposition KDH Critical of New TV Boss 10 Slovak GNP Up 13% from 1995 to Army Chief of Staff: Budget Not Enough to Modernize The Military 11 Major General Gombík: Slovak Pilots Best Prepared in Eastern Europe 11 Slovak Economy Resilient to Political Upheavals 11 World Bank to Prepare Economic Report on Slovakia 12 Sme: Bratislava Town Hall Concerned about Budget 13 Wednesday, 11 December Slovak President Kováč Addresses Parliament 13 Slovak President Hits Out at Mečiar Government 14 False Alarm Time Bomb during President Kováč s Speech 15 Speaker of Parliament Gašparovič Vulgar about President Kováč 15 Dismissed MP Gaulieder Explains His Reasons for Leaving HZDS 16 U.S. Ambassador Johnson Meets Slovak Premier Mečiar 16 Slovakia s Goal Is to Catch the First Train to NATO 16 Mečiar Denies Cabinet Reshuffle 16 Czech Film Director Rejects Prize from Slovak Culture Minister 17 Slovak Children Successful in International Math Tests 17 A New Trade Union Established at East Slovak Ironworks 17 Markuš on Matica Slovenská Delegation s Visit to Latin America 18 Tuesday, 10 December Slovak Parliament Elects Kubiš As New TV Director General 18 Fired Government-sponsored TV Boss Says Programming Politicized NATO Summit to Issue Membership Invitations. 19 U.S. Hopes Slovakia Commits Itself to More Internal Reform 19 EU-Slovak Committee Co-chair s New Warning on MP Gaulieder Case 20 Austrian MEP: Slovakia Could Soon Miss Chance of Quickly Joining EU 20 EU Diplomats Talk to Speaker of Slovak Parliament Gašparovič 20 Russia to Deliver Combat Helicopters to Slovakia 21 Bratislava Stops Mutual U.S. Czecho-Slovak Citizenship Loss 21 Fewer Unemployed Slovaks 21 EU Helps Slovakia and Hungary Build Bridge of Peace 21 Košice Prešov University Split 22

3 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 3 Bratislava Opens Slovak High School in Czech Prague 22 Premier Mečiar on Slovakia s Potential in 10 Years 22 Ukraine Opens Trade Mission in Prešov 22 Bearish Sentiment on Slovak Stock Exchange 22 Romani Child Care Workshop 23 One Million Crowns in Grants for Slovaks Abroad Approved 23 Monday, 9 December Opinion Poll Government Not Leading Slovakia to NATO 24 Slovaks Blame Government for NATO Reluctance about Slovakia 24 Poll Slovaks Split over Foreign Orientation 25 Poll Slovaks Split over the Role of the Opposition 25 Trade Unions Concerned about Freedom 25 European Democrats Concerned about MP Gaulieder s Loss of Mandate 25 Czech Vice Premier Lux: New Slovak Import Duty Restrictive 26 Slovak Judges Association Concerned over Death Threats 26 Greens Welcome Government Stop on Tichý Potok Dam 26 Košice Chamber Orchestra Off to Italy Year-enders 27 The Los Angeles Times: Head of Émigrés Has Big Dreams for Slovakia 27 The Los Angeles Times: The State As Stage Manager 29 The New York Times: Abduction Casts New Doubts on Slovakia s Chief 33 Sunday, 15 December 1996 MP ACCUSES PRESIDENT KOVÁČ OF SERIOUS ECONOMIC OFFENSE Bratislava Dušan Macuška, an MP for the government Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), has accused President Michal Kováč of serious economic crime. Macuška said this conclusion had been made by his parliamentary commission for inquiring into the causes of the March 1994 Constitutional crisis (when the second cabinet of Vladimír Mečiar was dismissed). But before the commission managed to publish its findings, it was expediently abolished by the Constitutional Court, Macuška said. The commission gathered a lot of evidence on Kováč having pursued serious criminal activities of the economic character, Macuška said in a televised debate. Macuška said the HZDS had not initiated the prosecution of Kováč, as the Constitution enables one to do

4 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 4 so only if the president is suspected of high treason. However, Macuška indicated the HZDS planned to sue Kováč after his tenure expires in March (ČTK) MOSCOW TELLS SLOVAK FOREIGN MINISTER IT STILL OPPOSES NATO EXPANSION Moscow Russian Defense Council Secretary Ivan Rybkin confirmed that Russia continued to be opposed to NATO expansion eastwards at a meeting with visiting Slovak Foreign Minister Pavol Hamžík today. Moscow prefers the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) playing a special role in ensuring collective security on the continent, the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS quotes Rybkin as saying. He said Russia favored the idea of a security zone reaching from Vancouver to Vladivostok. Hamžík came to Moscow for a two-day visit today. The main point of the visit is to be his talks with his Russian counterpart Yevgeny Primakov. (ČTK) GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF SLOVAK JUDGES ASSOCIATION ENDS Vyhne, Central Slovakia The three-day 6 th General Assembly of the Association of Slovak Judges (ZSS) ended in Vyhne, Žiar nad Hronom region, on Sunday with the approval of a final communiqué that expressed concern over the deepening radicalization of society, manifest through a growing numbers of threats. The ZSS was referring to a bomb threat against a senior court representative in Košice (eastern Slovakia) approximately three weeks ago. The more than 480 delegates attending the assembly showed their appreciation to President Michal Kováč, who appeared in person, by presenting him with a medal marking the 5 th anniversary of the ZSS. At the same time, the judges expressed their regret over Justice Minister Jozef Liščák s absence. Indeed, the absence of a senior ministry representative prevented the delegates from presenting their views on resolving some of the hot issues emerging from the reorganization of the justice system currently underway. Among their concerns was the approval of a judicial codex, which at the same time will help protect judges. [...] The assembly also fully supported the project for the foundation of an independent judges academy to deal with the education of judges. [...] Currently, more than 80% of about 1,100 judges in Slovakia are members of ZSS. (TASR) Saturday, 14 December 1996 PREMIER MEČIAR ON EU INTEGRATION Dublin Speaking after the EU summit in Dublin, Vladimír Mečiar on 14 December said Slovakia is a democratic country that fulfills the conditions for EU membership, ČTK reported. Slovakia has achieved better economic results than any other EU- associated country, he stressed, adding that it faces no social problems and its legal system is in

5 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 5 harmony with the EU s. The only remaining step is to improve trust in our democratic system, Mečiar emphasized. He said he is not aware of any EU reservations about Slovakia. In reaction to the European Parliament s recent resolution criticizing the Slovak parliament s decision to strip dissident Deputy František Gaulieder of his mandate, ruling coalition representatives said the affair is an internal matter, Sme reported on 14 December. PREMIER MEČIAR: CONFIDENCE IN SLOVAK DEMOCRACY MUST BE ENHANCED Dublin Slovakia has achieved the best economic results of all countries associated with the EU, it faces no social problems and it has put its legal system in harmony with the EU s, Slovak Premier Vladimír Mečiar said after the EU summit today. That is why Slovakia meets the conditions the EU has set for the countries seeking its membership. Only a step must be taken to improve confidence in our democratic system, said Mečiar, who, along with other premiers and presidents of the countries associated with the EU, attended the summit s second day. The Slovak system is democratic. I don t consider individual persons failures and a lower level of political culture to be a mistake within democratic reforms, Mečiar said. Nevertheless, Slovakia s approach towards the EU must change, be more active, he stated. (ČTK) Friday, 13 December 1996 POLL HZDS REMAINS STRONGEST PARTY Bratislava Between November 19-26, the Focus polling agency asked 814 people: If the parliamentary elections were held during this weekend, which party or movement would you vote for? Of the decided voters (18.8% respondents said they would not vote and 15.4% were undecided) 24.4% would vote for Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), 13.2% Christian-Democratic Movement (KDH), 11.4% Democratic Union (DÚ), 8.8% Party of the Democratic Left (SDĽ), 7.5% Hungarian Christian-Democratic Movement, 7.1% Slovak National Party (SNS), 6.2% Democratic Party (DS), 5% Slovak Social- Democratic Party (SDSS), 4.5% Communist Party, 4.5% Green Party (SZS), 3.7% Association of Slovak Workers (ZRS), 1.5% Coexistence, 1.5% Hungarian Civic Party (MOS), and 0.7% for other parties. (TASR)

6 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 6 EXPERTS ESTIMATE 1996 SLOVAKIA S GDP GROWTH TO REACH 7% Bratislava The Slovak Statistical Office (ŠÚ SR) has estimated that total 1996 gross domestic product growth will measure 6.8% to 7% in real terms, the office s chairman said Thursday. Inflation for 1996 was estimated to stay below 6%, Chairman Štefan Condík added at a press conference. Industrial production, he estimated, will grow by about 3% to 3.2% and construction output around 3.4% to 4%. The unemployment rate was expected to be between 12.6% and 12.8% for the year and the number of registered jobless people should constitute 92% to 94% of the 1995 figure. The ŠÚ SR forecast 6.5% to 6.7% GDP growth in the first quarter of 1997, and an annual inflation rate of 6.2% to 6.5% by March. Industrial production growth for next year was estimated at 3.5 to 3.9%, while the construction sector s output should grow only 1% to 1.8%, according to the Office s calculations. The ŠÚ SR expected the workforce in Slovakia to increase 0.7% over next year, and the unemployment rate to be between 12.5% and 12.7% during the first quarter of next year. (ČTK) SLOVAK WAGES NEAR $250 Bratislava The average monthly wage in Slovakia rose to a monthly 7,708 crowns ($249) during the first three quarters of this year, the Slovak Statistical Office announced on Thursday. The average wage in the first three quarters was 12.4% higher than in the same period last year. In real terms, it went up by 6.2%. By the end of the year the average monthly wage is expected to rise between 12.4% to 12.6%, year on year, to a total of 8,100 crowns ($261), the office added. In 1995, the average monthly wage was 7,195 crowns ($232). In the first quarter of this year, it dropped to 7,152 crowns ($231), and in the second quarter it reached 7,880 crowns ($254). The average monthly wage is expected to grow more slowly in 1997, at a rate of between 11.2% to 12%, the Slovak Statistical Office said. (ČTK) SLOVAK PARLIAMENT DISCUSSES PROTECTION OF THE REPUBLIC LAW Bratislava The parliament on 13 December opened debate on the protection of the republic penal code amendment, Sme reported. Opposition deputies boycotted the session and some ruling coalition representatives were also absent. Since only 68 deputies remained in the 150-member parliament, voting was delayed until 17 December. Although the Slovak National Party (SNS) continues to support the legislation, some representatives of its coalition partners the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) and the Association of Workers (ZRS) are reportedly opposed. Opposition deputies issued a statement calling the amendment a gross attack on basic human rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Slovak constitution.

7 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 7 CONSTITUTIONAL COURT TO SPEED UP MP GAULIEDER S DISMISSAL CASE Košice The Constitutional Court Chair Milan Číč charged Friday a judge to urgently deal with a proposal to take legal action based on a complaint lodged before the court by opposition MPs. The MPs ask the Court to take action against the parliamentary resolution, according to which Ján Belan took over the mandate of MP František Gaulieder who was ousted from the Parliament on December 5. Director of Constitutional Court Chairman s Office Marianna Mochnáčová stated that the Court will keep the judge s name in anonymity. (TASR) VICE PREMIER HÚSKA CHASTISES UNCONFIRMED PRESS REPORTING ON EU CRITI- CISM Bratislava The leadership of the Slovak National Council has not yet received any formal letter from the European Parliament. It is noteworthy that the media has kept reporting that more demarches are going to reach Slovakia, but after talks between U.S. Ambassador Ralph Johnson and the Premier (Vladimír Mečiar) it has changed its tone and tactics. Slovakia is no longer told that it would receive any demarche, rather its association agreement will be automatically cancelled. I don t believe that, National Council Vice premier Augustín Marián Húska told TASR on Friday. (TASR) PREMIER MEČIAR DISMISSES EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTIONS ON SLOVAKIA Bratislava In his regular Friday Slovak Radio address, Slovak Premier Vladimír Mečiar spoke about resolutions of the European Parliament. He said they should only be paid attention to if they are based on the truth. When they are based on false information these institutions should be told that they were entrapped and the information they react to is not right, said Mečiar. (TASR) PRÁCA: TOURISM AS EXPORT GOODS Bratislava During the first three quarters of 1996, 25.4 million tourists visited Slovakia which brought to the country foreign currency amounting to US$526.7 million, said Ján Bočkay, Director of the Slovak Agency for Tourism, to the newspaper Práca. The agency was established in September 1995, and has published 10 guide books about Slovakia and several promotional documents. It also resumed the publishing of Panoráma Slovenska magazine that has 1,500 subscribers abroad. The agency distributed videos Slovakia in Summer, Slovak Tourist Gems, and Gemer. At the beginning of 1997, the agency will distribute the video films The High Tatras, The Low Tatras, and Spiš. (TASR)

8 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 8 NEW RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO SLOVAKIA Bratislava The succeeding Russian Ambassador to Slovakia Sergei Zotov handed over his credentials to Slovak President Michal Kováč on Friday in Bratislava. (TASR) CZECH VICE PREMIER LUX RENEWS CRITICISM OF NEW SLOVAK IMPORT DUTY Olomouc Czech Agriculture Minister Josef Lux expressed his disagreement on Friday with the Slovak Cabinet s plan to limit the import of agricultural commodities from the Czech Republic. (TASR) PARLIAMENT ADJOURNED FOR LOW MP ATTENDANCE Bratislava Shortly before 2:30 p.m., National Council Deputy Chairman Ján Ľupták adjourned the 21 st parliamentary session. This happened when parliament lacked a quorum at the time of voting on the Criminal Code Amendment. There were 68 deputies of the ruling coalition in attendance, while opposition parliamentarians watched developments from the parliamentary gallery. (TASR) DID SLOVAKIA GET ANOTHER WARNING FROM THE EU? Bratislava The Press Department of the Governmental Office voiced a sharp protest against disinformation aired on private radio station Twist on Thursday, December 12. According to Twist, the EU is considering a cancellation of the EU-Slovakia association agreement. As the official statement says neither Premier Vladimír Mečiar, nor the Speaker of Parliament Ivan Gašparovič met any foreign diplomats to receive the alleged message. Nor were they told about any restriction measures against Slovakia. According to an anonymous source close to the premier and the parliamentary chairman, Slovakia will not get any demarche regarding the violation of democratic principles in the country. If it does not fulfill requirements generally valid in the democratic countries, the association agreement with Slovakia will be allegedly cancelled and visa duty will be reintroduced. (TASR) PREMIER MEČIAR: SLOVAKIA NOT A PROBLEMATIC COUNTRY Bratislava Premier Vladimír Mečiar considers it one of the best successes of his government that it has managed to govern over two years as the first of Slovakia s six cabinets since the 1989 fall of communism, Mečiar said in a radio interview today. No other government has been in office so long, Mečiar said on the occasion of the second anniversary of the appointment of the current cabinet, which is already his third. Another significant success of the government is Slovakia achieving the best results from all postcommunist countries in 1995 and 1996, though this is still not believed at home, Mečiar said. (ČTK)

9 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 9 POPULATION GROWTH SLOWS Bratislava Between January and September the overall population growth rate fell from 0.29% in the same period last year to this year s 0.25%, amounting to 9,800 people. The birth rate fell from 1.17% in 1995 to the current 1.15%, and the death rate rose from 0.94 to 0.95%. According to the Statistical Office, at the end of September there were five million three hundred and seventy-seven thousand Slovak citizens, of whom 51.3% were women. In the January to September period, 46,100 babies were born while 38,000 people died. The natural growth rate fell from 0.23% in 1995 to the current 0.20%, with migration being the only area with positive growth. In all, 1,852 people settled in Slovakia between January and September this year, while 179 left the country over the same period. (ČTK) Bratislava The CERES Agency in Bratislava put on the market a book of quotes by Slovak and foreign politicians entitled Mečiar, Ľupták, and Slota are our istota (Slovak word for guarantee) on Friday. Karol Lovaš of Radio Twist compiled the gems of Slovak wisdom and Ján Valter and Ivan Kováčik illustrated the book. Slovak Workers Association Chair Jan Ľupták told TASR he is content with the book. My ideas, plain statements by which I express myself, are captured here. These are words of our grandfathers. I obtained my opinions from my work and I am not chagrined by them. I believe that the book will have success and people who share my opinion will buy it, said Ľupták. (TASR) Thursday, 12 December 1996 EU CALLS ON SLOVAKIA TO RESTORE MP GAULIEDER S MANDATE. Strasbourg The European parliament approved a resolution on 12 December asking Slovakia to restore the mandate of Deputy František Gaulieder, Slovak media reported. Gaulieder quit the ruling Movement for a Democratic Slovakia s parliamentary caucus in November. Although he said he wanted to retain his post, serving as an independent, the parliament stripped him of his mandate. The European Parliament pointed to Slovakia s EU Association Agreement, in which it pledged respect for human and minority rights, democracy, and the rule of law. The private Bratislava-based Radio Twist on 12 December reported that Western diplomats warned Bratislava that the Association Agreement could be canceled and visa requirements renewed if the cabinet does not follow general democratic standards. Ruling coalition representatives denied the news, Sme reported. Also on 12 December, 37 opposition deputies lodged a complaint with the Constitutional Court regarding Gaulieder s replacement.

10 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 10 SPOKESWOMAN DENIES EU ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT CANCELLATION WARNING Bratislava The report by private Radio Twist tonight that western diplomats warned Bratislava the EU Association Agreement could be cancelled and visa duty renewed was denied by Premier Vladimír Mečiar s spokeswoman. It is absolute nonsense, Magda Pospíšilová told ČTK after she spoke personally with Mečiar and the Speaker of Parliament Ivan Gašparovič, who were to be the recipients of the alleged warning. (ČTK) SLOVAKIA MAY LOSE EU ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP Bratislava Slovakia will not be warned by any demarches and commentaries any longer, but if it does not abide by general democratic standards, its associate agreement with the EU will be terminated and visa duty with EU countries will be renewed, Radio Twist said today. This was the message Western diplomats delivered to Premier Vladimír Mečiar and the Speaker of Parliament Ivan Gašparovič, the radio said, referring to unspecified sources close to these officials. (ČTK) RULING HZDS DISMISSES PRESIDENT KOVÁČ S SPEECH TO PARLIAMENT Bratislava According to the HZDS Parliamentary Club, President Michal Kováč s Report on the State of the Nation did not contain any new facts. Thus, no parliamentary discussion about it was held. Tibor Cabaj, head of the HZDS parliamentary club, said at a HZDS press conference on Thursday. (TASR) OPPOSITION KDH CRITICAL OF NEW TV BOSS Bratislava The Christian- Democratic Movement (KDH) considers the appointment of Igor Kubiš as General Director of the Slovak Television (STV) as a reward for his participation in manipulation with voters through the television during the first day of the general election in 1994, and for preparation of TV programs with fraudulent witnesses who were to confirm the theory of Michal Kováč Jr. s self- kidnap, stated KDH Vice Chair for Media Vladimír Palko at a press conference on Thursday. He added that STV broadcast tendentious, instigating, and disinformation campaigns. (TASR) SLOVAK GNP UP 13% FROM 1995 TO 1996 Bratislava The Slovak Statistical Office Chair Štefan Condík commented on some Slovakia s economic and demographic characteristics achieved in the first nine months of 1996 at a press conference in Bratislava on Thursday. Slovakia reached Gross National Product (GNP) of billion crowns during that period, said Condík. Compared with the same period of 1995, the GNP increased by 13% in current prices, and in comparable prices (average prices of 1993), the increase was 7%. In addition, Condík spoke about consumer prices development in November (TASR)

11 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 11 ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF: BUDGET NOT ENOUGH TO MODERNIZE THE MILITARY Bratislava Although Slovak army spending, at 2.5 to 3% of GDP, is comparable to levels in other countries, it is not enough because Slovakia has not yet modernized its equipment, the Slovak army s chief of staff Jozef Tuchyňa told journalists today. If the state does not have enough money to modernize the army, other solutions will have to be found, he said. Evaluating the success of the army this year, Tuchyňa said he was glad that cooperation with neighbors had been strengthened. Next year he intended to cooperate more effectively with NATO countries, he said, adding that preparations for NATO membership remained the army s priority. Slovakia is finding itself increasingly left off the list of candidates for the first wave of NATO expansion. (ČTK) MAJOR GENERAL GOMBÍK: SLOVAK PILOTS BEST PREPARED IN EASTERN EUROPE Trenčianske Teplice, West Slovakia When compared to the countries of the former Warsaw Pact the Slovak Army has the highest number of hours flown by pilots, air force commander Major General Stefan Gombík told journalists today. This has caused the least number of air crashes which recently afflicted the armies of Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Romania, he added. We don t strive rashly for flying hours, but we carefully prepare them, Gombík said. Slovak combat pilots, who are ready for immediate use, fly an average hours annually and another 20 hours at a trainer. Slovakia owns a supermodern trainer of the Russian MiG-29 bombers with a sophisticated Silicon Graphics computer whose sale in Eastern Europe was only allowed last year, Gombík said. (ČTK) SLOVAK ECONOMY RESILIENT TO POLITICAL UPHEAVALS Bratislava The Slovak central bank on Thursday outlined its monetary policy for 1997, including a widening of the band in which it fixes the crown s exchange rate each day to slow the inflow of speculative capital. National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) Governor Vladimír Masár told a news conference that effective 1 January, the NBS would widen the crown s fluctuation band against its mark/dollar basket midpoint to plus/minus 7% from 5%. In our monetary program for 1997 we decided to widen the fluctuation band for fixing the crown to bring more uncertainty for the inflow of short-term, speculative capital, he said. Slovakia s economy has proved resilient despite a turbulent political scene, with gross domestic product (GDP) growing 7.0%, year-on-year, for the first three quarters, and annual inflation at just 5.4% in November. The NBS has long been battling a burgeoning money supply, which has been fuelled in part by speculative funds flowing into the country. Slovak officials say they welcome investment, but with interest rates on the interbank money market ranging between 12.4%

12 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 12 and 14.2%, many have been parking money in banks instead of using funds to restructure the economy. Masár warned investors looking to park speculative hot money in Slovakia for short periods that the band, unlike this year, will be used to its full extent. We will use the fluctuation band in its entire range more significantly than we did in 1996, according to the market situation, Masár said. He added that he expected the move would be sufficient to achieve the central bank s aims. In July, the NBS widened the fixing band to 5% from 3% for similar reasons. The NBS s key M2 money supply had grown by 19.0% September, down from 22.1% in the same month of the previous year. The NBS originally forecast M2 expansion of 11.6%, yearon-year, for 1996, but recently admitted it was more likely to be between 16-18%. Masár said the central bank expects M2 growth to fall to 10.7% next year. Market analysts said the wider band could have the desired effect, but they predicted it would not trigger large scale withdrawals of funds. The wider band may bring uncertainty, but I see it only as a psychological effect to keep out potential inflows of new hot money. More experienced investors here will probably not be frightened, Tibor Frátrik of ING Bank told Reuters. Martin Hrozány, chief dealer at Slovenská sporiteľňa, said he saw the move giving the NBS more room to eliminate the negative influence caused by a worsening trade balance. Now the NBS should have enough room to move the crown according to the development of the trade balance by, two or 3% for example, and prevent it from immediately reaching the fixing devaluation ceiling, Hrozány said. He added that he did not expect higher than 1% move of the crown in the early next year. Slovakia s foreign trade deficit widened to billion crowns ($1.35 billion) for the first 10 months of 1996 from billion crowns for the January-September period. The NBS on Thursday said it expected the trade balance to continue in this year trend at the beginning of Meanwhile, rates may remain high next year as the central bank continues to battle inflation while trying to keep the economy from overheating. Masár said the NBS is currently winning the war, but will have to push on its fight next year. We expect the favorable development of inflation to continue within the forecast range (of 4.9%-5.8%), but with a slower decrease in inflation than there has been so far. (Reuters) WORLD BANK TO PREPARE ECONOMIC REPORT ON SLOVAKIA Bratislava At a seminar in Bratislava members of a World Bank mission acquainted participants with the preliminary results of their work in Slovakia. Their mission is part of the of the continuous cooperation between Slovakia and the World Bank. The mission

13 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 13 presented the content of the economic report on Slovakia (Country Economic Memorandum, CEM). Its goal will be to evaluate the macro-economic results, and suggest steps that would secure the current level of growth. The report will also point to the structural reforms needed for Slovakia s entry to the EU. Representatives of the World Bank positively evaluated the export ability of Slovak companies and the successful change of ownership relations. They also appreciated the ratio of investments to the gross domestic product (GDP), which is currently 34% the highest within the transforming countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Strict restrictive wage and pricing policies of the Slovak government have brought positive results. Maintaining the an increasing investment-to- GDP ratio will be reflected years to come. Besides the macro-economy sphere, experts from the World Bank dealt with privatization, restructuring of the business and banking sphere, legislation needed for Slovakia s entry to the EU, the environment, agriculture and the social sphere. Representatives of Slovak governmental, economic, scientific institutions and organizations also took part in this seminar. (TASR) SME: BRATISLAVA TOWN HALL CONCERNED ABOUT BUDGET Bratislava The Town Hall of Bratislava considers the state budget, approved by the Slovak Parliament last week, to be more political than economic decision, stated Bratislava Mayor Peter Kresánek s assistant for financial strategy and budget, Ján Odzgan. In his words, the budget discriminates local government of towns and villages more than in 1996, which is the most evident in the Slovak capital. Concerning revenue taxes of corporate bodies, last year 60% of them was divided according to the number of permanent residents of a town and 40% according to a place of origin of a tax. The new budget changes this ratio to 70:30. Based on this, Bratislava, where almost 38% of GDP originates, will thus get several tens millions crowns less from taxes. Moreover, deputies did not take into consideration Bratislava s functions as the Slovak capital in connection with representation of Slovakia. At the same time, the budget does not consider 120,000 to 130,000 of commuters who pay taxes in the place of their permanent residence, but make a full use of advantages, secured by the local government of Bratislava. (TASR) Wednesday, 11 December 1996 SLOVAK PRESIDENT KOVÁČ ADDRESSES PARLIAMENT Bratislava President Michal Kováč delivered a very critical annual report on the state of the nation on 11 December, saying the ruling coalition is leading Slovakia into international isolation, press agencies reported. Before the speech, all governing coalition deputies left the parliament. Kováč said it is becoming customary that Slovakia is excluded

14 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 14 from the first group of candidates for NATO and EU membership and added that the government is not reacting to such signals. He also criticized state TV for broadcasting disinformation, apparently produced to manipulate public opinion, and called for a dialogue with minorities and implementation of the Slovak Hungarian treaty. SLOVAK PRESIDENT HITS OUT AT MEČIAR GOVERNMENT Bratislava Slovak President Michal Kováč launched a fresh public attack on Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar s government on Wednesday, saying it was leading the country to constitutional crisis and international isolation. In his annual state of the nation address, Kováč criticized a parliamentary vote expelling a deputy who quit Mečiar s party to protest an alleged lack of democracy in Slovakia. Nearly all the members of parliament of the three coalition parties, which range from the far-right to the far-left, walked out as soon as Kováč entered the chamber. The entire affair is an example of political violence and the violation of all written and unwritten rules of democratic political life, Kováč told parliament. He was referring to the case of František Gaulieder, a founding member of Mečiar s Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), who was expelled from parliament earlier this month on a vote by MPs of the three-party coalition. Gaulieder listened to the speech in the visitors gallery. Mečiar has stressed his commitment to democracy and played down concerns expressed by the United States and the European Union (EU) about years of political turbulence in Slovakia. Kováč, an enemy of Mečiar, said that the development of this risky spiral of political acts which are at odds with democracy could lead to a constitutional crisis with unforeseen consequences. Kováč, whom Mečiar has been trying to oust for two years, was echoing comments from the U.S. State Department in October that Washington was concerned about indications that the Slovak government s commitment to democracy had been weakening. Slovakia is campaigning to get into the first wave of former East Bloc countries to be invited to join NATO when the Western alliance decides on new members in July next year. The coalition walkout reflected the rift between the president and the parliamentary majority which has called for his resignation several times but has been unable to muster the necessary three-fifths majority to oust him. Kováč played a key role in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 1994 which forced Mečiar from power for nine months. We left in order to demonstrate our lack of confidence in the president, HZDS deputy Arpád Matejka said.

15 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 15 While Kováč was delivering the address, the Speaker of Parliament Ivan Gašparovič, a member of Mečiar s HZDS, interrupted the speech to announce that Interior Minister Gustáv Krajčí had told him there was a bomb in the building primed to go off at 12:30 p.m., but that he believed it was a hoax. Kováč continued with no explosion occurring. It is slowly becoming a habit to bypass mentioning Slovakia in the first group of candidates for membership in NATO and the European Union, said Kováč. Ignoring Western concerns on the development of democracy showed a dangerous lack of realism, he said. Because of this policy we could miss the first train both to NATO and the EU. Kováč nevertheless expressed optimism that Slovak voters were reaching maturity and would be able to express their will for an improvement in the next elections, due in They know that the spirit of freedom has embraced Europe and that Slovakia cannot remain an isolated island, he said. That fills me with hope for the future. (Reuters) FALSE ALARM TIME BOMB DURING PRESIDENT KOVÁČ S SPEECH Bratislava An anonymous telephone call to the Slovak Interior Ministry announced Wednesday that a bomb would explode at 12:30 in Parliament in Bratislava. The Speaker of Parliament Ivan Gašparovič was informed about the telephone call during President Kováč s speech on the state of the republic. The president s address, for which Gašparovič was seated directly behind the president, ended at 12:34. The office of the protection of constitutional bodies checked the parliamentary building during the lunch break. The inspection proved that there was no bomb in Parliament, Parliamentary Office Director Miroslav Kollár told TASR. (TASR) SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT GAŠPAROVIČ VULGAR ABOUT PRESIDENT KOVÁČ Bratislava The Speaker of Parliament Ivan Gašparovič today handed over the presiding of the parliamentary session to a MP before the arrival of President Michal Kováč with the words I m called to meet the old prick [starého chuja, pron.: HOO-ya]. Slovak Radio Twist broadcast the recording of Gašparovič s comment today. Kováč, who is at odds with Premier Vladimír Mečiar, delivered a speech on the state of Slovakia this morning. Gašparovič is a member of Mečiar s ruling Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS). Immediately after Gašparovič s statement opposition deputy Milan Kňažko asked him to explain his words. Gašparovič insisted he said he was called to meet an old ujo [starého uja, pron.: OO-ya]. Ujo is uncle, or, sometimes, older man in Slovak.

16 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 16 DISMISSED MP GAULIEDER EXPLAINS HIS REASONS FOR LEAVING HZDS Bratislava The October meeting of the deputies group of the ruling Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) was the last straw, František Gaulieder, an HZDS defector who was stripped of his parliamentary mandate last week, told journalists today. Gaulieder said he had not been given an answer to his questions concerning the HZDS s overall policy in the future, its angering the Church, students, and academics, its launching a cultural revolution, and its way of privatizing, including the identity of the new owners of the lucrative Nafta Gbely oil storage and the Slovnaft Bratislava oil refinery companies. (ČTK) U.S. AMBASSADOR JOHNSON MEETS SLOVAK PREMIER MEČIAR Bratislava Ralph Johnson held a two- hour long confidential talk with Vladimír Mečiar on 11 December, Slovak media reported. Calling the meeting friendly, Mečiar s spokeswoman Magda Pospíšilová denied that Johnson had issued a demarche. Over the past two years, Slovakia received one U.S. and two EU demarches over domestic political developments. Observers speculated that Johnson s meeting with Mečiar dealt with the parliament s controversial decision to strip František Gaulieder a breakaway member of parliament from Mečiar s party of his parliamentary mandate. The meeting came one day after the Speaker of Parliament Ivan Gašparovič held talks with a group of EU diplomats. SLOVAKIA S GOAL IS TO CATCH THE FIRST TRAIN TO NATO Brussels At an NACC (North Atlantic Cooperation Council) session in Brussels on Wednesday, Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Pavol Hamžík confirmed Slovakia s goal to join NATO in the vanguard of its expansion. Slovakia believes it will be among the countries to be invited to commence talks on joining NATO, stated Hamžík. Hamžík assured that Slovakia is taking the necessary practical steps to be prepared for future membership in NATO. He said that Slovakia puts emphasis on the political and military dimension of its relationship with NATO and that it would welcome a continuation of dialogue between Slovakia and NATO in this connection. [...] Slovakia fully agrees with the communiqué of the NATO Ministerial Council that indicates building a strong and secure partnership between NATO and Russia is inevitable. (TASR) MEČIAR DENIES CABINET RESHUFFLE Bratislava Premier Vladimír Mečiar vehemently denies any speculation about planned personnel changes in his cabinet, government spokeswoman Magda Pospíšilová told ČTK today. Mečiar has not prepared and is not preparing any changes in the composition of his cabinet, she stressed. Premier Mečiar recommends to all who spread this

17 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 17 kind of rumor to verify it from trustworthy sources before publishing it, she added. She reacted to today s edition of several Slovak papers, which published lists of cabinet ministers to be dismissed. (ČTK) CZECH FILM DIRECTOR REJECTS PRIZE FROM SLOVAK CULTURE MINISTER Prague Czech film director Petr Václav today refused to take over a prize for his film Marian awarded to him by Slovak Culture Minister Ivan Hudec at the 1 st International Romani Festival in Klenovec, Central Slovakia. In an open letter passed to ČTK, Václav said he was unable to accept a prize from a man who was trying to muzzle free thought in Slovakia and destroy Slovak culture. I cannot accept any acknowledgement from you, a man who has in his post consistently tried to suffocate free thought in Slovakia and destroy Slovak culture in denying working opportunities to the creators who are not servile to the ruling party, Václav wrote. You will find a parcel with the trophy in your mail in a few days, Václav s letter ends. (ČTK) SLOVAK CHILDREN SUCCESSFUL IN INTERNATIONAL MATH TESTS Častá-Papiernička A Slovak sample of primary school students, involving some 7,500 children, placed seven in a math test organized by the Netherlands-based International Evaluation Association (IEA), after children from Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Belgium, and the Czech Republic. A PHARE Reconstruction of Educational System seminar, aimed at evaluating the level of Slovak schools and informing about the IEA test results, ended in Častá-Papiernička on Wednesday. There were 45 national teams participating in the IEA contest. Slovak respondents were from 290 classes from Grade 7 and 8 from 150 primary schools. [...] Apart from Slovakia s recent participation in the IEA test, there have not been any major comparative surveys of the level of children s knowledge in Slovakia since WW II. [...] (TASR) A NEW TRADE UNION ESTABLISHED AT EAST SLOVAK IRONWORKS Košice A new trade union, Metalurg, was registered on Tuesday, December 10, at the Slovak Interior Ministry. Metalurg was established by 27 basic trade union organizations of the Eastern Slovakia Ironworks (VSŽ) in Košice when they have seceded from the KOVO Trade Union uniting metal workers. Jaroslav Gruber Chair of the General Council of the VSŽ Trade Unions told Slovakia that a preparation committee of a new trade union was already established and Gruber was elected the committee chief executive. The founding congress of the Metalurg Trade Union will be held on 25 March Gruber specified that up to now out of more than 20,000 VSŽ trade unionists including satellite companies in Medzilaborce, Snina, Tornaľa, Dobšiná (East Slovakia), 18,000 trade unionists have agreed to launch a new trade union. We assume that the number of

18 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 18 our members will be higher than the number of previous VSŽ unionists because also other trade unions of associated industrial fields in Slovakia have showed interest in becoming a member of the new trade union, added Gruber. He refused to specify these trade unions. Employees of the Košice-Šaca Hospital and VSŽ apprentice school after their privatization will also enrich the Metalurg membership base. Responding to TASR question whether Metalurg will require a portion from the OZ KOVO property, Gruber said: We did not leave because of property but principally we will try to obtain our portion. Gruber asserted that he does not want to run for the post of the chair of the new union. He excluded that two trade unions should be establish in VSŽ. He said that Metalurg wanted to work within the framework of the Slovak Trade Union Confederation, which unifies all the trade unions in Slovakia, and he challenged OZ KOVO for a correct dialogue and cooperation while pushing for employees demands. (TASR) MARKUŠ ON MATICA SLOVENSKÁ DELEGATION S VISIT TO LATIN AMERICA Bratislava Matica slovenská (Slovak cultural heritage organization) Chair Jozef Markuš spoke about his experiences as head of the delegation that recently returned the Americas at a press conference in Bratislava on Wednesday. The principal mission of the journey was to revive contacts with the Slovak community in Latin America and take part in the celebrations of the 70 th anniversary of the Slovak Culture Club in Argentina. Markuš said Director of the House of Foreign Slovaks, Vladimír Repka, was also a member of the delegation. MS officials visited Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Brazil. Markuš alone visited the MS Cultural Center in New York. In Argentina, the delegation met Slovak expatriates and visited also an exhibition of paintings by the late Slovak writer in exile Jozef Cíger Hronský in the town of Luján. In addition, MS officials visited the Slovak Cultural House in Montevideo, Uruguay. In Chile, Markuš met with Slovak expatriates at the Slovak Embassy, which helps the Chilean community of Slovaks begin organizing their cultural and social life. Repka said that there are almost 70,000 Slovaks living in Latin America. In Buenos Aires, the delegation arranged the establishment of a Matica slovenská cultural and documentary center. (TASR) Tuesday, 10 December 1996 SLOVAK PARLIAMENT ELECTS KUBIŠ AS NEW TV DIRECTOR GENERAL Bratislava The Slovak Parliament dismissed STV General Director Jozef Darmo from his post on Tuesday in Bratislava. Of the 111 deputies present during the voting, 106 deputies voted for the proposal of the STV Council and five abstained. In a secret ballot

19 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 19 of the Slovak Parliament, Igor Kubiš was elected the new director of Slovak Television (STV) on Tuesday. (TASR) FIRED GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED TV BOSS SAYS PROGRAMMING POLITICIZED Bratislava Slovakia s parliament on 10 December elected a new director of state-run Slovak TV (STV) in a secret ballot vote, press agencies reported. Igor Kubiš, the new STV director, previously worked as a newscast editor and is often said to have very close contacts with the ruling Movement for a Democratic Slovakia. Before his election, Jozef Darmo, the former director of the pro-government station, was dismissed from his post on 10 December by the decision of 106 deputies. Darmo said that parliamentary deputies are responsible for the fact that STV directors are often replaced, causing a total collapse of STV in program and organizational structure. Darmo continued that the functioning of STV has been influenced by the country s permanent political struggle NATO SUMMIT TO ISSUE MEMBERSHIP INVITATIONS. Brussels NATO foreign ministers agreed on 10 December that an alliance summit meeting on 7-8 July in Madrid will decide which of the 11 Central and Eastern European applicants will be invited to accession negotiations, international agencies reported. NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana refused to reveal which countries would be selected, saying only that one or more would receive invitations. Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary are believed to be the leading candidates, although Slovenia, Romania, and Slovakia are still under consideration. U.S. HOPES SLOVAKIA COMMITS ITSELF TO MORE INTERNAL REFORM Brussels Asked whether Slovakia is still among the main candidates to enter NATO, Nicholas Burns, a U.S. State Department spokesperson, answered: So far, NATO has not made any decision and no country is eliminated from the considerations on NATO expansion but the number of countries will be rather limited. However, I cannot predict which countries will be included, Burns said in an interview with a TASR correspondent in Brussels on Tuesday. Early enough, according to Burns, the U.S. showed their disappointment with insufficient progress in democratization process by the Slovak Cabinet. We are still hoping the Slovak Cabinet will commit to higher degree of internal reform as they did in Prague, Budapest, Warsaw, or in Latvia and Estonia, said Burns, adding that there are more examples around central European countries which are successful in democratization as well as economic reforms.

20 9-15 December 1996, Slovak News 20 Burns also spoke about Slovakia s progress compared to other countries in transformation. Sincerely speaking, I do not think Slovakia has made as much progress as any of these countries and I am not referring to membership in NATO, said Burns, adding that these are the issues which should be taken into consideration. Asked what the U.S. would advise Slovakia to do to improve its chances of being in the first round of countries to enter NATO, Burns said the Slovak Cabinet has to make its own decisions, and NATO will not be telling the Slovak government what to do. (TASR) EU-SLOVAK COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR S NEW WARNING ON MP GAULIEDER CASE Strasbourg In a letter dated 10 December, EU-Slovak joint parliamentary committee co-chairman Herbert Bösch issued yet another warning to Slovakia regarding the Gaulieder affair, Práca reported six days later. AUSTRIAN MEP: SLOVAKIA COULD SOON MISS CHANCE OF QUICKLY JOINING EU Strasbourg Herbert Bösch, a Member of the European Parliament for Austria and a cochairman of the EU-Slovak parliamentary committee, finds it more and more difficult to comprehend why the Slovak parliament makes decisions which clearly run counter to the goal of building stable parliamentary democracy in the country. Bösch writes it in a letter addressed to his Slovak counterpart in the committee, Augustín Marián Húska, a copy of which ČTK obtained on Saturday, 14 December. Turning to the recent expulsion of former government coalition MP František Gaulieder from parliament against his will, Bösch points out that members of parliaments represent no one but their voters. This is the basic principle, Bösch adds. Bösch warns that it would be neither correct nor possible [for him] to ignore the present developments. If the trend does not change clearly and unambiguously, it would have serious consequences not only for the work of the joint parliamentary committee but also for the chance of Slovakia s rapid entrance into the EU, Bösch writes in conclusion, asking that Slovak Parliament Chairman Ivan Gašparovič (HZDS) be acquainted with his stand. (ČTK) EU DIPLOMATS TALK TO SPEAKER OF SLOVAK PARLIAMENT GAŠPAROVIČ Bratislava Slovak Speaker of Parliament Ivan Gašparovič met British Ambassador to Slovakia Peter Harborne, who was heading a EU diplomatic group, in Bratislava on Tuesday. The meeting, held at the request of the EU diplomats, discussed the current internal political climate and the work of the Slovak Parliament.