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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, November 1998 Sunday, 29 November Opposition HZDS Bitter over Its Rejected Proposals 3 HZDS Protests Ex-Premier Mečiar s Portrayal as Criminal 4 Slovak Roma Unite before Local Elections 4 Pharmaceutical Firms Like More Money for Healthcare 4 MP Fico, Slovak Delegation at Washington Holocaust Conference 4 Saturday, 28 November Bilingual School Report Cards to Be Revived 5 Friday, 27 November Opposition Party Gets Most Attention on State-sponsored TV, Radio 5 MP Fico Wants Brussels to End Monitoring Slovakia 6 Germany, Austria Want EU to Encourage, Observe Slovakia 6 Slovakia Imposes Delayed Ban on Yugoslav Airlines 6 Slovakia to Bang on NATO s Door after April Summit 7 Ex-U.S. Envoy Says Slovakia Needs 2 More Elections to Join NATO 7 Slovakia, Hungary Resume Talks on Danube Dam Dispute 7 Vice-Premier Mikloš Says Predecessors Plundered National Property 8 Milan Cerovský Appointed New Chief of Staff 8 Slovak Bank Caught in Spin over Košice Ironworks Shares 8 Crisis in Machine Industry Discussed in Martin 10 Legislators Cut Time for Discussion Speeches 10 Thursday, 26 November Confidence Vote Likely Next Week 10 Premier s Speech on Government Policy Statement Debate 10 Premier Dzurinda Repeats that Salaries Will Double on His Term 12 Slovaks Believe in Stability of Dzurinda s Cabinet 12

2 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 2 48% Slovaks Think Dzurinda s Cabinets Will Last, 33% Don t 12 Slovak National Party Doubts Hungary s Good Will 13 Writer Not to Pay Compensation to Former Culture Minister 13 Premier Dzurinda Invited to Israel 14 Slovak Soldiers Shine in Golan Heights Peacekeeping Force 14 Next Franco-Russian Space Mission to Carry Slovak Cosmonaut 14 Wednesday, 25 November Slovak Parliament Debates Government Policy Statement 15 Atomic Energy Watchdog Okays Safety at Slovak Nuclear Plant 15 Justice Minister Čarnogurský Comments on Prosecution Amendment 16 Foreign Committee Sees Concordat with Vatican in 4 Years 16 Slovak Government Widens Lead over Opposition 16 Higher Confidence in New Parliament 17 Dzurinda Hints at State News Agency Reshuffle 17 Presidential Hopeful Schuster ahead of Mečiar, Kováč 17 Hydrologist Kocinger to Lead Danube Dam Talks with Hungary 18 Budapest Expects Slovak, Central European Contacts 18 Police Says Slovak Border with Ukraine Most Secure 19 New Russian Ambassador to Come to Slovakia in December 19 Tuesday, 24 November Right and Left Cabinet Parties Most Popular 19 Defense Minister Wants More Money and Control 20 Michal Kováč to Run for Slovak President Again 20 Hungary Wants Slovak Fast-track EU Membership Talks 20 Hungarian Foreign Minister Sees Prospects with Slovakia 21 Radio Council Votes 5:4 for Rezník to Stay as Director 21 Outgoing State TV Chief Gives Himself 240,000-Crown Golden Handshake 21 IMF Calls for Attention to Slovak Banks, Privatization 22 Central Bank Says Enough Banks in Slovakia 22 Monday, 23 November Government Minister Čarnogurský Votes against His Coalition 23 Economy Vice-Premier Sees Fast-track to EU as Help for Business 23 Presidential Elections Still Debated in Parliament 23 Czech and Slovak Leaders Pledge New Relationship 24

3 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 3 New Interior Minister Suspects Parallel Network in Secret Service 25 New Post of Advisor on Romani Issues at Interior Ministry 25 Police to Stop Ethnic Identification of Perpetrators 25 Finance Minister Vague on PM Dzurinda s Promise to Double Salaries 26 UNDP and Environment Ministry Plan Sustainable Development 26 Jewish Teens from Slovakia, Central Europe Meet in Vienna 27 U.S. Newspaper Commentaries on Slovakia 27 Slovakia s Democratic Turn 27 Building Slovakia 28 Sunday, 29 November 1998 OPPOSITION HZDS BITTER OVER ITS REJECTED PROPOSALS Bratislava The opposition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) will not support the new government policy statement and will not vote for confidence in the cabinet of Premier Mikuláš Dzurinda, HZDS deputy chairman Sergej Kozlík said on Slovak Radio tonight. The fact that the government majority failed to accept any of the 20 reservations raised by HZDS against its policy statement was the reason, Kozlík, former finance minister in Mečiar s government, said after a meeting of the HZDS leadership. Kozlík said that with its declarations of catastrophic visions and scandalizing of the previous government of Vladimír Mečiar, the government coalition was creating a mask under which it wanted to hide its inability to fulfill its own pre-election populist promises. The meeting of the HZDS leadership was held in a spa resort near Stará Ľubovňa, east Slovakia, over the weekend. The main topic discussed was the assessment of the ongoing parliamentary debate on the new government policy statement and the preparation for the December local elections. According to many sources, HZDS Chairman and former Premier Mečiar presided the meeting. Mečiar has consistently avoided public appearance since the September parliamentary elections, in which the current government coalition won a three-fifth majority in the new parliament, sending Mečiar s HZDS to the opposition. Mečiar has also refused any contact with journalists. Although Mečiar received 470,000 preferential votes in the elections, more than any other of the 150 deputies of the new parliament, he gave up his parliamentary seat immediately after he was sworn as a Member of Parliament, to the benefit of Ivan Lexa, who was director of the SIS counter-intelligence service until the end of October.

4 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 4 HZDS PROTESTS EX-PREMIER MEČIAR S PORTRAYAL AS CRIMINAL Bratislava The Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) has protested against efforts trying to show Vladimír Mečiar as a criminal, it is reported in a HZDS standpoint given to TASR on Sunday by HZDS spokesman Igor Žvach. According to the HZDS the attacks against Mečiar started to strengthen after Justice Minister Ján Čarnogurský s statement that even if Mečiar was proved to have committed criminal act he should not be tried, because he has a main role in the creation of the Slovak state. [ ] (TASR) SLOVAK ROMA UNITE BEFORE LOCAL ELECTIONS Zvolen Two the most important political groupings representing interests of Slovak Roma the Romani Intelligentsia for Co-existence (RIS) and the Romani Civic Initiative (ROI) have agreed to communicate in the forthcoming local elections. The two groups representatives agreed over the weekend that they would support Romani candidates in the local elections, regardless of to what organization they belonged. The Romani political organizations are running their candidates in the December local elections for mayors in four towns. So far only the village Jurské in Poprad County in east Slovakia had a Romani mayor. The leaders of the two organizations also declared their interest in a merger of RIS and ROI in a strong Romani party, which would gain more than 5% of the vote in the next parliamentary elections so that it would be able to enter the parliament. PHARMACEUTICAL FIRMS LIKE MORE MONEY FOR HEALTHCARE Bratislava The Association of Pharmaceutical Companies (AFV) considers the Cabinet s resolution to release 500 million crowns for the healthcare sector to show an honest interest in resolving the crucial financial problem in the sector, said AFV Press Secretary Pavel Hraška in an interview with TASR on Sunday. [ ] (TASR) MP FICO, SLOVAK DELEGATION AT WASHINGTON HOLOCAUST CONFERENCE Washington Peter Burian, Director General of the Slovak Foreign Ministry s Department for Press, Culture, and Human Issues, and Fero Alexander, Chairman of the Central Association of Jewish Religious Communities in Slovakia, arrived in Washington on Sunday to take part in a three-day international Holocaust conference, due to commence on Monday, November 30. Member of Parliament Robert Fico is also attending the conference. [ ] (TASR)

5 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 5 Saturday, 28 November 1998 BILINGUAL SCHOOL REPORT CARDS TO BE REVIVED Komárno We are working on the codification of the bill expected to allow the issuance of bilingual school report cards, said Education Minister Milan Ftáčnik during a press briefing in Komárno, southern Slovakia, on Saturday. We would be glad if such report cards were issued at the end of the first half of the academic year, he added. Even though, he said, the question of bilingual certificates is not a dominant problem, the Slovak Cabinet has unambiguously committed itself to reintroduce the issuance of the traditional bilingual report cards. [ ] (TASR) Friday, 27 November 1998 OPPOSITION PARTY GETS MOST ATTENTION ON STATE-SPONSORED TV, RADIO Bratislava Slovak Television (STV) devoted 38.9% of the total broadcasting time to the newly appointed Slovak Cabinet, reads the result of the monitoring conducted by the MEMO organization between October 8 and 12. MEMO monitored the broadcasting of STV (Slovak Television), TV Markíza, Slovak Radio, and Radio TWIST. The broadcasting time of STV after the appointment of the new government was devoted to individual political parties as follows: Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) 19.7%, Party of the Democratic Left (SDĽ) 11%, Slovak Democratic Coalition (SDK) 8.1%, Slovak National Party (SNS) 5.5%, Party of Civic Understanding (SOP) 5%, Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) 4.3%, and others 6.7%. TV Markíza spent 45.9% of its broadcasting time covering the activities of the new government, SDK 9.9%, SDĽ 9.1%, HZDS got 8. 7%, SNS 7.2%, SMK 7.2%, SOP 4. 8%, and 7.2% were spent on others. Slovak Radio had 57.1% reserved for the activities of the new government, HZDS got 12% of the total broadcasting time spent on political bodies, SDĽ 9.2%, SNS 3.4%, SMK 2.1%, SOP 1.5%, SDK 0.2%, and others got 14.5%. Radio TWIST spent 66.2% of the broadcasting time divided between individual political bodies on the coverage of the information on the new Slovak Cabinet, 12.7% on SDK, 4.9% of the time on HZDS, 4.7% on SNS, 3,6% on SDĽ, 3% on SOP, and 4.8% on others. MEMO 98 is an independent and non-political organization founded between April and June of 1998 to monitor the presentation of the September general election in the mass media. At present, MEMO is working on the monitoring project of the selected regional

6 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 6 media broadcasting concerning the upcoming municipal elections in December. TASR was supplied with this information by MEMO on Friday [27 November]. (TASR) MP FICO WANTS BRUSSELS TO END MONITORING SLOVAKIA Bratislava Slovakia is in the process of monitoring but I have an eminent interest to complete this process in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (CE) as soon as possible, Robert Fico, Head of the Slovak parliamentary delegation to the CE Parliamentary Assembly, at a press conference in Bratislava on Friday. According to Fico, Slovakia has to find the way out of the ongoing defensive explanations. [ ] The essence of monitoring is in that Slovakia has voluntarily taken several obligations during its accession to the CE in These concerned minority rights, bilingual signs, and others. Currently Slovakia meets 95% of these obligations according to Fico. There are still judiciary tasks to do, as well as the questions of the law on the use of minorities languages, Fico said. As for monitoring, Fico noted that Slovakia is bears no comparison with other countries. Slovakia does not have such serious problems as other countries which are monitored, he added and presented the examples of capital punishment, prisons, and minorities. Regarding the remaining 5% of unfulfilled obligations, Fico included the issue of the drafting of the law on minority languages. He thinks that the level of minority rights in Slovakia is extraordinarily high. (TASR) GERMANY, AUSTRIA WANT EU TO ENCOURAGE, OBSERVE SLOVAKIA Bratislava The European Union (EU) should send Slovakia a political signal at the summit in Vienna in December, and decide on the date of the discussions on Slovakia s entry after observing the next development in the country, said German Foreign Affairs Ministry State Secretary Günter Verheugen and his Austrian partner Benita Ferrero- Waldner at a press conference in Vienna on Friday. According to Verheugen, Slovakia s request for its transfer into the first group of EU candidate countries must be carefully thought over. We must not make a mistake and place political wishes before reality, he said. [ ] (TASR) SLOVAKIA IMPOSES DELAYED BAN ON YUGOSLAV AIRLINES Bratislava The new Slovak government of Premier Mikuláš Dzurinda decided today to join the ban of the Yugoslav airlines JAT flights in Europe, which comes with a delay of two months after a similar decision was made the EU s associate members.

7 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 7 SLOVAKIA TO BANG ON NATO S DOOR AFTER APRIL SUMMIT Brussels Slovak Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda said on Friday he planned to step up pressure on NATO for his country to be admitted to the Western military alliance soon. But Dzurinda said he had no hope of Slovakia being invited to membership talks with NATO at next April s Washington summit, when Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary are to become members. After the summit we will (bang on) the door as strongly as possible, he told reporters after meeting NATO ambassadors during his second visit to the alliance headquarters since being elected in October. Slovakia was excluded from NATO membership talks and fast track talks on joining the European Union because of the behavior of the previous government under authoritarian prime minister Vladimír Mečiar. Dzurinda has vowed to change his country s political face in order to achieve quick membership of both organizations. NATO Secretary General Javier Solana declined to set a date on which Slovakia might be admitted to membership talks but said that by continuing the pace of reforms it would be preparing itself well. (Reuters) EX-U.S. ENVOY SAYS SLOVAKIA NEEDS 2 MORE ELECTIONS TO JOIN NATO Bratislava Slovakia needs at least one or two democratic polls to break the Western world s mistrust that built-up during the previous government of Premier Vladimír Mečiar, Jeane Kirkpatrick, the United States former ambassador to the U.N., said in Bratislava today. Kirkpatrick, who used to work for U.S. president Ronald Reagan, said that she did not expect an early admission of Slovakia to NATO, that the Alliance had to be certain that Slovakia is strongly dedicated to democracy and that this would take time. SLOVAKIA, HUNGARY RESUME TALKS ON DANUBE DAM DISPUTE Bratislava The meeting of Slovak and Hungarian experts who were seeking an agreement on the future of the Gabčíkovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric project on the Danube in Bratislava today offered no concrete results, but both sides agreed to continue talks in Budapest on January 28. We have renewed the direct contacts which were broken in February. Our talks were based on the verdict [of the International Court of Justice in The Hague] and we were looking for common points, said Peter Tomka, head of the Slovak team of lawyers in The Hague, adding that the verdict from The Hague would not matter anymore, if the two sides find a common language and show results in the negotiations. The International Court of Justice ruled in favor of Slovakia in the dispute in September 1997, but Hungary refused to sign the prepared expert agreement in May which expected Hungary to renew construction in the project.

8 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 8 VICE-PREMIER MIKLOŠ SAYS PREDECESSORS PLUNDERED NATIONAL PROPERTY Bratislava The inspection of privatization decisions which is currently taking place has already brought to light many reasonable suspicions of crimes, Ivan Mikloš, Slovak Vice Premier for the Economy, said in Parliament on Friday. Mikloš also accused the attending MP of the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), former vice-president and chairman of the National Property Fund (FNM) Executive Board, Milan Rehák, that the FNM plundered and stole the national property worth tens of billions Slovak crowns. According to Mikloš, the former highest executive body of the FNM did not fulfill any of the resolutions by the FNM supervisory board in which Mikloš was the only member for previous opposition from Mikloš also pointed to the current critical financial situation in the FNM which, despite selling property worth 130 billion crowns, has almost no money available today. Regarding the criticism of the opposition deputies about privatization decisions of the previous cabinets, Mikloš said that the current opposition has had enough time to investigate them during its term. However, Mikloš does not know about any specific findings. (TASR) MILAN CEROVSKÝ APPOINTED NEW CHIEF OF STAFF Bratislava Defense Minister Pavol Kanis appointed Brigadier General Milan Cerovský, the current head of the administration for integration and standardization of the general staff, as the new chief of staff today, staff press official Anton Filo has told ČTK. There was a consensus among the four-party coalition that Cerovský is the right man on the right place, Kanis said. Cerovský has replaced Marian Mikluš, who was appointed amid controversial circumstances four months ago by previous premier Vladimír Mečiar after he had assumed some presidential powers. Some lawyers said Mikluš s appointment conflicted with the law. The change was made by a decision of Parliament Chairman Jozef Migaš, who has taken the power to dismiss and appoint the chief of staff and Premier Mikuláš Dzurinda who has the power of the army supreme commander. These powers actually belong to the president, but Slovakia has not had any since the term of Michal Kováč expired in March. (ČTK) SLOVAK BANK CAUGHT IN SPIN OVER KOŠICE IRONWORKS SHARES Bratislava Slovakia s largest bank, state-owned Slovenská sporiteľňa (SSPO.BV), may become the largest shareholder in VSŽ (East Slovak Ironworks) Holding a.s. (VSZB.BV) but not if the troubled steel company s management gets its way. The fate of the stake in one of Eastern Europe s biggest steel makers, which may become the property of the bank based on a repurchase agreement which comes due this week,

9 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 9 took an unexpected twist on Thursday when VSŽ management attempted to trade the shares to an unnamed party. Slovenská sporiteľňa (SLSP) has been holding between 24 and 26% of VSŽ shares stemming from repurchase agreements to be repaid by VSŽ which are set to expire on Friday, SLSP vice-president Nadežda Jančovičová told Reuters. She said the deal was concluded at a time when another Slovak bank, IRB, was unable to pay us our deposits, and at that time it gave us VSŽ shares instead of money. She put the amount owed in the repo at around 600 million crowns and repayment was the responsibility of VSŽ. Although SLSP said it was ready to take over the VSŽ stake if the amount was not repaid, large trades in the steel maker s shares on the Bratislava Stock Exchange (BSE) on Thursday complicated matters even more. At the request of SLSP, the bourse postponed settlement of the transaction. We have a provision in the rules that says that if a market player feels a transaction hurts his interests, he can inform the bourse which can postpone the deal, BSE spokeswoman Oľga Dlugopolská said. A VSŽ spokesman confirmed that the shares traded on the BSE were the same as those assigned to the SLSP and that they were transferred under the direction of VSŽ management. Yesterday, 34% of VSŽ were traded. It was done under the control of VSŽ management. The deal that took place was linked to the shares that SLSP used to have, VSŽ s Jozef Marko told Reuters. The bourse reported on Thursday seven direct trades in VSŽ stock at prices between 134 and 700 crowns. More than 5.5 million shares, about 33.3% of VSŽ stock, changed hands. The BSE said a decision on the deals would be made by Tuesday. VSŽ s Marko said management s trading of the stock on Thursday was legal and the bourse should complete the transfer. Unless a political decision is made, SLSP will not become the owner of those shares, said Marko. The new Slovak prime minister, Mikuláš Dzurinda was reported as saying on Tuesday the government was going to take a stake in VSŽ and seek a co-investor to help solve VSŽ s economic problems. VSŽ ran into trouble this month after it was unable to pay back an early call on a $35 million syndicated loan arranged by Merrill Lynch. The company has been holding crisis talks with creditors and the Slovak government. It said on Tuesday it wanted to make management changes, hire an adviser on steel management and restructuring, as well as focus on its core business of steel-making. VSŽ called an extraordinary general meeting for 11 December. Slovenská sporiteľňa is 91% owned by the state, and holds another 3% of VSŽ in its portfolio outside of the disputed stake. VSŽ consists of over 130 companies and has stakes owned by numerous individuals, security traders, groups and banks. (Reuters)

10 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 10 CRISIS IN MACHINE INDUSTRY DISCUSSED IN MARTIN Martin The state budget cannot offer any direct financial aid at this point, said Slovak Economy Minister Ľudovít Černák at the meeting of Trade Union of Metal Workers (OZ KOVO) representatives and members in Martin on Friday. Černák said that the government can offer help only in certain areas, which means that it can support vital projects and companies, for example the project with Volkswagen and Automartin, the contract signed between ZŤS TEES Martin machine works and India. According to Černák, it is unrealistic for the government to support OTF Nižná (TV set producer) financially, because the financial requirements of OTF Nižná represent 100 million crowns, being the most complicated situation in Žilina District. Černák commented on the importance of regaining the control over DMD Holding, which has direct ownership shares in all important machine industry companies in Slovakia. (TASR) LEGISLATORS CUT TIME FOR DISCUSSION SPEECHES Bratislava [ ] Parliament approved a motion of the Slovak Democratic Coalition (SDK) Caucus Chairman Roman Kováč to cut the time limit of Members of Parliament remarks, as part of discussion, to 10 minutes. Out of 80 present MPs, 75 voted in favor, four against, and one MP did not vote. (TASR) Thursday, 26 November 1998 CONFIDENCE VOTE LIKELY NEXT WEEK Bratislava Nov 26 - Since 71 out of the total 150 Slovak parliament members have asked to deliver speeches in the current debate on the cabinet s policy statement, the crucial confidence vote is only likely to be held next week. The opposition has criticized the cabinet for its intention to start issuing bilingual, Slovak-Hungarian, school-leaving certificates in ethnically mixed regions. The previous cabinet of premier Vladimír Mečiar introduced only-slovak certificates, which sparked a wave of protests from ethnic Hungarians and abroad. PREMIER S SPEECH ON GOVERNMENT POLICY STATEMENT DEBATE Bratislava Slovak Premier Dzurinda said Thursday, in response to opposition jibes in debate about the government policy statement, We are sparing the strategic companies from distraint at the last minute. The so far profitable pearls of the Slovak economy you put into the red even those that had billions in profits are drowning. You opened the door to parasites, who totally wasted the country. While Ján Ducký was Slovak Gas (SPP, Slovenský plynárenský priemysel) general director, vast sums of money were given to people for their personal needs. As if making a mockery of the poor, there is one case

11 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 11 when furnishing an apartment for a private person cost 4,841,000 crowns, Dzurinda said. He also cited a commercial contract signed by Ducký. The contract was closed between SPP and Sportmedium s.r.o. The sum given out for commercials should be 55 million crowns annually. The contract was valid from the day of closing until 30 June The contract cannot be cancelled and after it was a certainty that HZDS will not be in the government there was an amendment added saying that the contract cannot be cancelled until It means 55 million crowns blown yearly and this is the fate of one of the companies you supervised, said Dzurinda at Thursday s Parliamentary session. He also spoke about wages and bonuses of members of top management in Slovak companies. You are highly responsible for the current misery in Slovakia. People do finally understand this, Dzurinda said of the current opposition. According to Dzurinda, during the discussions on the Government s policy statement, the opposition MPs interrupt the discussions, prolong them and tried to persuade citizens that parliament was not able to reach a higher quality in ruling itself. How to achieve a higher quality of administration of companies and provide for better relations among people, if you beat around the bush, ignore facts, provoke senseless fights, or if you waste time, the crucial factor in a period when it is necessary to take action? I invite you to be more responsible and economical, because it is necessary to get to work, concluded Dzurinda. After Dzurinda, also other Government members Vice Premier Ivan Mikloš and ministers Ľudovít Černák, Gabriel Palacka, István Harna and Ladislav Pittner also gave their speeches on the policy statement. The government policy statement is also about renewal and about the fact that ŠtB (the secret police under Communism) will not run STV (Slovak Television), said Premier Dzurinda with regard to the government policy statement. The renewal is also about the fact that it is useless for TASR s chief to cry now that he was wrong and there are no lists of journalists. It was good to throw dirt at the former opposition, on all the free journalists, to repeatedly make up lists just to bring tension into society. Today, Mr. [Dušan] Kleiman says sorry, we have no proof about the existence of such lists. Good ŠtB work, said Premier Dzurinda. [ ] Our program might be leftist and rightist at the same time. However, I want to say that the policy of the party through which you got to parliament has been dictatorial, antipopular and egotistical and it undermined the trust of the people in justice. It represented policies that seriously damaged Slovakia, Premier Mikuláš Dzurinda told opposition members on Thursday in Parliament in response to the speech of Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) MP Pavol Števček. Dzurinda further said about HZDS that it was involved in unprecedented plundering and stealing of everything that could be stolen. You pretend to be a victim of the governing that we had to observe for the past four

12 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 12 years. This is the second day of the Parliamentary discussions on the policy statement, we are wasting time, you are provoking conflict. I am very much surprised by the shamelessness with which many of you have formulated your statements, as if for this misery in our country was responsible someone else other than you the shepherds here over the past four years. Dzurinda stressed 80% of people maintain that you have led the country to such misery that there is not enough money for anything. We watch TV and see schools close down because there is not enough money for heating, health care is in crisis, and the railways are buried in debt and technically outdated. Premier Dzurinda added that the state coffers are empty and their debts are increasing and the HZDS election campaign chairman has led the Eastern Slovak Ironworks (VSŽ) to its biggest troubles ever and, thus, many thousands of people in eastern Slovakia. (TASR) PREMIER DZURINDA REPEATS THAT SALARIES WILL DOUBLE ON HIS TERM Bratislava Slovak Premier Mikuláš Dzurinda today confirmed his pre-election promise to double the average pay within his four-year term, though the commitment is not part of the draft government policy statement. Before the elections Dzurinda s promise to double pay was also criticized by journalists who otherwise favored the Dzurinda-led opposition against then Premier Vladimír Mečiar. Economic experts, too, doubt the feasibility of the commitment. [ ] SLOVAKS BELIEVE IN STABILITY OF DZURINDA S CABINET Bratislava A half of Slovaks believe that the current four-member coalition cabinet, headed by Mikuláš Dzurinda, will last its four-year term, while a third believe it will not, according to a poll conducted by the Focus polling agency in November. Young and middle-aged people and the voters of the current ruling parties tend to be optimistic about the cabinet s future. The opposite view is largely held by the elderly and opposition voters. (ČTK) 48% SLOVAKS THINK DZURINDA S CABINETS WILL LAST, 33% DON T Bratislava As a poll by the Institute for Public Affairs (IVO) carried out by the Focus agency involving 1,052 respondents between 3-11 November revealed, 18.3% of citizens think that the new cabinet of Premier Mikuláš Dzurinda would certainly last for its whole term of four years. In a similar poll in November 1994, 9.8% expressed their full confidence in the previous cabinet of Vladimír Mečiar. Of all the respondents, another 29.3% believe to some extent in the Cabinet (20.7% in 1994), 17.6 doubt them to some extent (29.3%) and 15.7% have no faith in them (23.2%) and 19.1% did not know (17.0%).

13 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 13 Younger citizens, those with a higher education, and citizens of Bratislava and Košice regions most often believe in the stability of the new cabinet, while the most skeptical are older people, with the lowest education, and citizens of the Trenčín region. Do you believe the new government will serve its 4-year term? 1998, PM Dzurinda 1994, PM Mečiar Certainly yes 18.3% 9.8% 47.6% 30.5% Rather yes 29.3% 20.7% Don t know 19.1% 17.0% Rather not 17.6% 29.3% 33.3% 52.5% Certainly not 15.7% 23.2% As for the structure of political parties, 79.5% of Slovak Democratic Coalition (SDK) sympathizers, 78.9% of the Party of Civic Understanding (SOP), 75.6% of the Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK), 72.3% of the Party of the Democratic Left (SDĽ), 14.1% of the Slovak National Party (SNS) and 11.3% of HZDS sympathizers think that certainly or rather yes. As for the skeptical answers, that is certainly or rather not, the chart is exactly the other way around while SOP sympathizers with 5.6% stand ahead of SDK sympathizers with 8.1%. (TASR) SLOVAK NATIONAL PARTY DOUBTS HUNGARY S GOOD WILL Bratislava The Slovak National Party (SNS) considers Hungary s supportive attitude towards Slovakia s integration to the European Union (EU) and NATO as suspicious and hypocritical. SNS does not regard the chapter on the misunderstanding with Hungary as over yet. It insists on its requirement: that Hungarians apologies to Slovaks for historical wrongs, reads an SNS statement provided to TASR by SNS Press Secretary Rafael Rafaj in Bratislava on Thursday. According to SNS, an abrupt change in Hungarian diplomatic rhetoric towards Slovakia attests to the fact that the previous four-year period of libel and harm toward Slovakia abroad was from our southern neighbor as well as the Hungarian minority in Slovakia has served its purpose (in getting rid of the former government), concludes the statement. (TASR) WRITER NOT TO PAY COMPENSATION TO FORMER CULTURE MINISTER Bratislava The Supreme Court today rejected former Culture Minister Dušan Slobodník s action for compensation from poet Ľubomír Feldek, who wrote about Slobodník s alleged fascist past, Feldek s lawyer Ernest Valko has told ČTK. Slobodník would not get the compensation of 170,000 crowns he demanded, Valko added. The feud started in August 1992 when Slobodník, who was a member of the Hlinka Youth pro-totalitarian organization and attended a German-sponsored saboteur course at

14 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 14 the age of 17 by the end of World War II, filed an action against Feldek for the verse an SS-member embraced an ŠtB-member 1 from the poem Good Night, My Beloved. Slobodník has told ČTK that in 1945 he was an involuntary member of the Hlinka Youth course which trained anti-guerrilla specialists under the leadership of German experts, but did not take part in any action. After the war he was arrested by the Soviet counter-intelligence, sentenced to 15 years in prison and spent eight years in the Soviet Union in the Gulag. His trial and deportation were reviewed and he was declared not guilty in (ČTK) PREMIER DZURINDA INVITED TO ISRAEL Bratislava Slovak Premier Mikuláš Dzurinda received the new Israeli Ambassador to Slovakia based in Vienna, Nathan Meron, during his first visit to Bratislava on Thursday. [ ] (TASR) SLOVAK SOLDIERS SHINE IN GOLAN HEIGHTS PEACEKEEPING FORCE Bratislava The Slovak contingent serving in the United Nations UNDOF force in the Golan Heights has been recognized as the best in the whole force by the leader of the UNDOF mission, Slovak Defense Ministry spokesman František Kašický said today. The 30 Slovak soldiers who returned home recently received the commendation from Defense Minister Pavol Kanis today. The UNDOF mission was agreed in accordance with the treaty signed between Syria and Israel in May to halt the fighting on the disputed Golan Heights. It was Austria which offered Slovakia the chance of participation in the force. NEXT FRANCO-RUSSIAN SPACE MISSION TO CARRY SLOVAK COSMONAUT Moscow The next Franco-Russian mission to the Russian orbital station Mir, will go ahead in March, the Russian commander of the team said in Thursday s edition of the daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta. [ ] The third cosmonaut selected for the mission is Slovak Ivan Bella, 33, who will be the first 2 of his countrymen to travel into space. (AFP) 1 A member of the Communist secret police. A key question of the series of trials was whether SSmember was a reference to Dušan Slobodník (and ŠtB-member to Vladimír Mečiar, who did not sue). Feldek s poem was published in M.V. 2 The first cosmonaut from Czechoslovakia was Vladimír Remek in 1978, deliberately chosen to represent the whole country, because his father was Slovak and mother Czech. M.V.

15 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 15 Wednesday, 25 November 1998 SLOVAK PARLIAMENT DEBATES GOVERNMENT POLICY STATEMENT Bratislava Slovakia s Parliament on Wednesday began discussing the new government s policy statement which contains pledges to lead the country into the European Union and NATO, privatize banks and stabilize the economy. It was unclear how long it would take to debate the policy statement but Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda has said he hopes to have a final vote on Thursday. The four-party coalition made up of neo-liberals, centrists, and reformed communists came to power in September after defeating former Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar in a general election. The new government led by Dzurinda, a liberal Christian Democrat, has promised to remedy the shortcomings in Slovakia s democratic system which under Mečiar s rule excluded the country from the group of frontrunners for EU and NATO membership. Dzurinda has said the government would encourage foreign investment, restructure and then privatize the country s banks possibly with the help of foreign capital and revive the illiquid and depressed equity market. In presenting the government policy statement to parliament last week, 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) ATOMIC ENERGY WATCHDOG OKAYS SAFETY AT SLOVAK NUCLEAR PLANT Vienna The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Wednesday that Slovakia has taken all the requested measures to ensure safety at a nuclear power plant which has sparked protests in neighboring Austria. IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said agency inspectors who visited the site at Mochovce, Slovakia, some 180 kilometers (110 miles) east of Vienna, confirmed that all recommendations made by them were being implemented. In October, a mission reviewed design modifications which have been made to the plant and concluded that all other safety issues previously identified by the agency had been addressed, he told the IAEA board of governors. He added that another mission visited the plant last week to review the seismic safety, and presented its findings to the Slovak authorities. He gave no details of this. The Mochovce power plant comprises two 440- megawatt Soviet-designed VVER reactors upgraded with security systems made by a Franco-German consortium. Nuclear-free Austria fears the plant could be unsafe after a warning by one expert that it could cause a massive nuclear accident. Environmental campaigners have mounted repeated protests over the issue. (AFP)

16 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 16 JUSTICE MINISTER ČARNOGURSKÝ COMMENTS ON PROSECUTION AMENDMENT Bratislava The government approved the draft legislation changing the Prosecution Act 314/96 on Wednesday. The change will enable Parliament to recall the prosecutor general, Justice Minister Ján Čarnogurský announced in Bratislava on Wednesday. During the past four years, he says, Prosecutor General Ján Valo did not fulfill his duty in terms of maintaining supervision over the law and, therefore, it is not probable that he stays in his function. Čarnogurský mentioned the kidnapping of Michal Kováč Jr. and Robert Remiáš murder, as well as the unlawfulness of the privatization process. The prosecutor general did not intervene in either of these cases, added Čarnogurský, despite the burden of proof and their highly public nature. (TASR) FOREIGN COMMITTEE SEES CONCORDAT WITH VATICAN IN 4 YEARS Bratislava Although the policy statement of the new cabinet does not explicitly mention the conclusion of an agreement with the Vatican, there is a real opportunity of concluding it within four years, Peter Weiss, the chairman of the parliamentary foreign committee, told journalists today. Weiss, the deputy chairman of the Democratic Left Party (SDĽ), stressed that the SDĽ wanted to pass legislation defining relations between church and state. The legislation should serve as a basis for the agreement with the Holy See, he added. A feud over the concordat was sparked by Justice Minister Ján Čarnogurský who voted against the adoption of the policy statement. He explained his decision by the fact that the cabinet had failed to include the concordat, the foundation of a Catholic university and equality between church and public schools in its policy statement. SLOVAK GOVERNMENT WIDENS LEAD OVER OPPOSITION Bratislava Slovakia s reformist government, which came to power following an election in late September, has increased its already huge lead over the opposition, an opinion poll showed on Wednesday. Combined support for the government stands at 65% compared with 58% at the election. Opposition support has dropped to 29% from 36%. Former Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar s Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) has been the biggest loser since polling day, falling to 16.6% from 27%. Analysts say HZDS is built around the personality of Mečiar who has disappeared from public view since losing the election. The biggest gainers in the opinion poll were Premier Mikuláš Dzurinda s Slovak Democratic Coalition, up to 32.3% from 26.3%, and the opposition far-right Slovak National Party, which now stands at 12.3%. The poll was conducted by the private Markant agency among 1,058 respondents between 6 and 16 November. (Reuters)

17 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 17 HIGHER CONFIDENCE IN NEW PARLIAMENT Bratislava The Slovak Parliament, as an institution, can be completely trusted according to 8.6% of 1,052 Slovak citizens, research conducted by the Institute for Public Affairs (IVO) through Focus agency between 3-11 November of this year shows. The poll was released in Bratislava on Wednesday. Somewhat more encouragingly, 48.8% of respondents were rather confident in the Parliament, 22.4% are rather not confident, 5.9% are not confident in the Parliament, and 14.4% did not respond. In comparison with the results from June 1998, the new Parliament enjoys greater confidence from Slovaks and lower mistrust than the former government had. At that time, 43% of the respondents were completely or rather confident in the Parliament, 48% were rather or not confident, and nine% did not know the answer. In November, individual political party breakdowns showed the following: confidence, either complete or partial, in the newly-elected Parliament: supporters of the Party of Civic Understanding (SOP) 78.9%, Slovak Democratic Coalition (SDK) 77.8%, Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) 73.2%, Party of the Democratic Left (SDĽ) 73.1%, Slovak National Party (SNS) 41%, and Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) 39.2%. The reverse profile emerges under rather or not confident in the Parliament (with the exception of three political parties) SDK (14.5), SOP (11.3) and SMK (11). In June, the greatest confidence in Parliament came from the HZDS, SNS and Slovak Workers Association (ZRS) supporters, markedly from the respondents with lower education and people living in central Slovakia. From a political point of view, the base of the confidence in the new Parliament was reversed, featuring SDK, SDĽ, SMK, and SOP representatives and people with higher education. Regionally, people living in the Košice and Prešov regions have the highest confidence in the Parliament, and Trnava and Trenčín regions the lowest. Of course, supporters of the opposition show mostly their mistrust of Parliament. (TASR) DZURINDA HINTS AT STATE NEWS AGENCY RESHUFFLE Bratislava In a short time, personnel changes will be carried out in the management of the Slovak News Agency TASR, Slovak Premier Mikuláš Dzurinda told journalists in Bratislava on Wednesday. (TASR) PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL SCHUSTER AHEAD OF MEČIAR, KOVÁČ Bratislava If there were direct presidential elections, Rudolf Schuster would get 34.4%, Vladimír Mečiar 18.1% and Michal Kováč 8.8% of all votes, read the results of an opinion poll conducted by Markant agency between 6 and 16 November of this year. The opinion poll is representative of the sex, age, education, nationality, size of settlement and region.

18 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 18 The results also show that 14.9% of the 1,058 respondents would give their votes to another candidate, 8.4% of the respondents would not participate or give their votes to anybody, and 15.4% did not know or did not answer. According to 10% of the respondents, the president should always be elected by Parliament, 19.8% were in favor of direct presidential elections in the future but for a Parliament-elected President at present, and 60.6% of the respondents were for direct presidential elections now and in future. Some 9.6% did not know or did not want to answer the question. 17.1% of the respondents had complete confidence in the new government, 41% are rather confident, 19.2% are rather not confident, 12.9% are not confident in the new government at all, and 9.7% of the respondents did not answer or did not know the answer. TASR was supplied with this information by Markant agency. (TASR) HYDROLOGIST KOCINGER TO LEAD DANUBE DAM TALKS WITH HUNGARY Bratislava November 25 - The Slovak government appointed Dominik Kocinger to head up the governments negotiating team regarding the Gabčíkovo-Nagymaros Danube Dam on Wednesday. Slovak Premier Mikuláš Dzurinda made the announcement at a press conference in Parliament. Intensive negotiations will take place with Hungary, he added. [ ] (TASR) BUDAPEST EXPECTS SLOVAK, CENTRAL EUROPEAN CONTACTS Budapest Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Wednesday the cabinet is trying to breathe new life into the four-country Visegrád cooperation in a bid to secure as much of an advantage as possible regarding integration into Europe. Orbán spoke on receiving a dozen ambassadors from Central and East European countries accredited to Budapest. He stressed that such efforts are not directed against countries that do not belong to the Visegrád group, and announced that Slovakia plans to host the next summit in late April. Foreign Ministry political state secretary Zsolt Németh said advantages deriving from integration will probably show considerably sooner than in neighboring countries, adding that Hungary would like to share these advantages with its neighbors, as it is not in Hungary s interests to see an economic or social dividing line arise along the Hungarian border. Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesman Gábor Horváth said Budapest plans to host a trilateral Hungarian-Slovak-Austrian meeting for the three countries prime ministers in early 1999 to revive trilateral cooperation. [ ]

19 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 19 POLICE SAYS SLOVAK BORDER WITH UKRAINE MOST SECURE Bratislava Slovakia s border with Ukraine is evidently the best-guarded border in the country, with four times fewer illegal immigrants attempting to cross the Slovak- Ukrainian border than the border with Hungary, the head of Slovak border police chief Pavol Ňuňuk told ČTK today. Ňuňuk said that 291 illegal immigrants had been detained by Slovak border police on the Ukrainian border this year, compared to 1,102 on the border with Hungary. Despite these positive statistics Premier Mikuláš Dzurinda promised his Czech counterpart Miloš Zeman during his recent visit to Bratislava that the Slovak- Ukrainian border would be tightened. (ČTK) NEW RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO COME TO SLOVAKIA IN DECEMBER Bratislava Newly-appointed Russian Ambassador to Slovakia Alexandr Axenenok is to visit Slovakia at the beginning of December 1998, reads a notice from the Russian Embassy in Bratislava received by TASR on Wednesday. Axenenok was appointed in November by Russian President Boris Yeltsin. (TASR) Tuesday, 24 November 1998 RIGHT AND LEFT CABINET PARTIES MOST POPULAR Bratislava The popularity of ex-premier Vladimír Mečiar s Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) has sharply declined since HZDS s departure into opposition after the late September general election, according to an opinion poll conducted by the Markant agency in October. Unlike HZDS, the popularity of its two main rivals and senior parties in the new four-party government coalition, the Slovak Democratic Coalition (SDK) and the Democratic Left Party (SDĽ), has increased since the elections, and the two parties lead the HZDS. The HZDS, which narrowly won the elections garnering 27% of the vote but was unable to form a majority government, was supported by only 16.6% of Slovaks in October, according to the poll the results of which were given to ČTK today. The popularity ladder is topped by Premier Mikuláš Dzurinda s SDK (32.3%), which is followed by Parliament Chairman Jozef Migaš s SDĽ (17.3%). HZDS comes third, followed by its former government partner, the current minor opposition Slovak National Party (SNS) 12.3%. The two junior government parties, the Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) and the Party of Civic Understanding (SOP) enjoy support from 7.9 and 7.6% of voters respectively. (ČTK)

20 23-29 November 1998, Slovak News 20 DEFENSE MINISTER WANTS MORE MONEY AND CONTROL Bratislava The Slovak Armed Forces need more finance than is available to it. The provisional budget will satisfy no one. We will have to abide with the across-the-board economic situation, so systemic and organizational changes aimed at securing a fully functioning military and hence defense capability, as well as a more emphatic move towards transatlantic structures, are fitting. The governments manifesto notes the fact that the full-year defense sector provisions grew by 0.1% of the GDP annually, Defense Minister Pavol Kanis said following the Parliamentary Defense and Security Committee discussions on Tuesday. According to him, the duplication of activities of the ministry and the general military staff should be abolished. This requires a completely new blueprint for the defense portfolio, which will be gradually implemented according to available resources. [ ] (TASR) MICHAL KOVÁČ TO RUN FOR SLOVAK PRESIDENT AGAIN Bratislava Former Slovak president Michal Kováč, whose term of office expired this March, has definitely decided to stand for president again. [ ] HUNGARY WANTS SLOVAK FAST-TRACK EU MEMBERSHIP TALKS Bratislava Hungary and Slovakia pledged on Tuesday to forge a new relationship and end years of bickering over minority rights issues and the disputed Gabčíkovo dam on the Danube River. The election in late September of a pro-western government in Slovakia, once part of the Kingdom of Hungary in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, has raised hopes for an improvement in relations which became increasingly strained under the rule of former Slovak Premier Vladimír Mečiar. We will try to open a new chapter in relations between our countries, Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi told journalists on a one-day official visit to Bratislava. He said Hungary would push Slovakia s case for rejoining the front-runners for European Union membership after dropping back amid criticism Mečiar s government was compromising democratic reforms. Slovak-Hungarian relations soured as Mečiar s coalition government which included the fiercely anti-hungarian Slovak National Party consistently refused to heed calls for improved minority language laws. On one occasion, former Hungarian Prime Minster Gyula Horn accused Mečiar of wanting to transfer the entire 500,000-strong minority across the southern border to Hungary. Slovak Foreign Minster Eduard Kukan said those days were gone. I must state that we have identical views practically on all questions we were talking about, he said.