CER | Slovakia: Fico visits Moscow amid criticism

Fico denied that he was seeking new political partners or membership in international political structures and said he was merely there to promote his party. Fico rejected criticism of the Russian visit made by Slovak politicians, including Premier Mikuláš Dzurinda. He said the attacks were "completely irrelevant."

Fico set up Smer after he quit the former-Communist Party of the Democratic Left (SDĽ), quickly becoming one of the most highly-rated politicians in the opinion polls. His outspoken comments concerning the Roma minority have gained him a high media profile.

Premier Dzurinda expects GDP growth

Premier Mikuláš Dzurinda says he expects GDP to grow by 3.2 per cent in 2001. Speaking in Bratislava on Wednesday 24 January, the premier was generally upbeat about economic prospects. He pointed to a growth of 10.6 per cent in industrial production over the 12 months to November 2000, and a 30 per cent rise in exports during the first 11 months of 2000.

Dzurinda claims that a rise in net incomes by one per cent during this period is the first sign of a a rise in living standards. His reading of the situation was challenged by Vladimír Masár, the former governor of the National Bank, who said it was not quite appropriate to speak about macroeconomic stability.

The chairman of the Council for Economic Development and former deputy premier for the economy, Sergej Kozlík, said last year's low rate of economic growth had resulted in a growing gap between Slovak and EU economies. He criticised government inactivity in the face of high unemployment figures, and said the gap between higher and lower income groups was widening rapidly.

Hungarian-speaking teacher-training faculty

The Government has set aside SKK (Slovak koruna) ten million (USD 212,000) to pay for a Hungarian-speaking teacher-training faculty at the University of Constantine the Philosopher (UKF) in Nitra. The announcement was made on Wednesday 24 January.

The establishment of such a faculty has been one of the main demands of the Party of the Hungarian Coalition (SMK) in exchange for its support for changes to the Slovak constitution which are required by the European Union.

UKF has had a Hungarian Department for more than 40 years. It also has a Roma Department, which trains teachers and social workers. The leadership of the national cultural organisation, Matica Slovenská, has criticised the SMK for what it sees as excessive demands on behalf of the Hungarian minority.

It said the Government's recent approval of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages amounted to a gross violation of Slovakia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Matica's Stanislav Bajaník said: "The rights of minorities cannot be to the detriment of the rights of the Slovak minority."

Western Slovakia tests for DU

Tests carried out at the military air base in Malacky, western Slovakia, have shown no traces of depleted uranium (DU) or increased radiation, according to a Defence Ministry announcement on Thursday 25 January. It follows speculation in Slovak newspapers that DU weapons had been used by the US Air Force while flying training missions to the nearby weapons range at Kuchyna.

DU weapons were developed and tested in Czechoslovakia between 1981 and 1989, but the programme was abandoned in 1990. Meanwhile, details of the first possible Slovak victim of so-called Balkan Syndrome have been published. The 31-year-old soldier died of stomach cancer in 1998, having served as a driver with the Slovak UNPROFOR unit between 1995 and 1996.

The leading European Union official in Slovakia has criticised insufficient public awareness of the country's relations with the EU. Walter Rochel, who heads the European Commission's office in Bratislava, said people needed to know more about the expected impact of membership on candidate countries. In particular, people should be more aware of the EU's infrastructural and rural development programmes.

Rochel made the comments as he presented grants of EUR 200,000 (USD 185,000) to 14 Slovak organisations to pay for projects aimed at raising Slovaks' awareness of the EU. The co-owner of the Markíza commercial television station, Pavol Rusko, has confirmed that he intends to form a new politcal party. It will probably be called "Nova"—a name which Rusko hopes will reinforce his message of "new people, new priorities, and a new way of thinking."

The names of other party members have yet to be announced. Rusko says they are well-known people who have not been involved in politics for at least ten years.

Robin Sheeran, 26 January 2001

Moving on:

Sources:

TASR (Slovak Press Agency)
SITA (Slovak News Agency)
ČTK (Czech News Agency)
Pravda
Republika
Slovak Spectator
SME

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