FICO CALLS SLOVAKIA "ISLAND OF AMERICAN INFLUENCE"

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000580

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2014
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR IZ LO
SUBJECT: FICO CALLS SLOVAKIA "ISLAND OF AMERICAN INFLUENCE"


CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR WEISER FOR REASON 1.4 (B)


1. (C) SUMMARY: ROBERT FICO, LEADER OF OPPOSITION PARTY SMER,
RESPONDED TO THE JUNE 8 DEATHS OF THREE SLOVAK SOLDIERS IN
IRAQ AND THE PASSAGE OF THE UNSC RESOLUTION ON IRAQ BY
LAMBASTING THE DZURINDA GOVERNMENT'S FOREIGN POLICY,
PARTICULARLY ITS CLOSE TIES TO THE U.S. FELLOW SMER MP
ROBERT KALINAK TOLD POLOFFS THAT SMER PLANNED TO BE VERY
CRITICAL OF DZURINDA'S POLICIES IN THE COMING WEEK. HE ALSO
SAID FICO HAD RETURNED FROM WASHINGTON WITH THE MESSAGE THAT
SMER COULD BE CRITICAL OF U.S. POLICY AS LONG AS IT DIDN'T
ASK FOR THE RECALL FROM IRAQ OF SLOVAK TROOPS. FICO'S
MESSAGE WAS SURELY DESIGNED IN PART TO WIN SUPPORT FOR SMER'S
CANDIDATES IN JUNE 13 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS. END
SUMMARY.


2. (U) IN A JUNE 9 PRESS CONFERENCE, SMER'S ROBERT FICO
ACCUSED THE GOVERNMENT OF MAKING SLOVAKIA INTO AN "ISLAND OF
AMERICAN INFLUENCE" IN CENTRAL EUROPE, EVADING INTERNATIONAL
LAW AND PARTICIPATING IN EXPERIMENTS OF THE BUSH
ADMINISTRATION, SUCH AS THE MILITARY INTERVENTION IN IRAQ.
HE CALLED ON THE GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE OBJECTIVE INFORMATION
TO THE PARLIAMENT ON WHAT SLOVAK SOLDIERS ARE DOING IN IRAQ
AND WHAT THE SITUATION IS IN THE COUNTRY. ACCORDING TO FICO
IT IS NECESSARY FOR PARLIAMENT TO DISCUSS THE GOVERNMENT'S
FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY.


3. (U) FICO CRITICIZED PRIME MINISTER MIKULAS DZURINDA AND
HIS SLOVAK DEMOCRATIC AND CHRISTIAN UNION (SDKU). HE SAID HE
CONSIDERS SDKU'S POLICY AS PRO-AMERICAN DESPITE DECLARATIONS
OF GOOD RELATIONS WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION. HE EXPRESSED DOUBT
THAT SDKU DEPUTIES ELECTED TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT WOULD
ADVOCATE EUROPEAN INTERESTS. HE PROMISED THAT SMER AND ITS
DEPUTIES WOULD ALWAYS SUPPORT THE FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY
OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AS WELL AS A CLOSER ORIENTATION TO
GERMANY AND FRANCE.


4. (U) FICO SAID SMER IS STILL ANALYZING THE NEW UNSC
RESOLUTION ON IRAQ. HOWEVER, HE ADDED, NOTHING WILL CHANGE
IN THE LIFE OF THE IRAQIS AND THE UN WILL HAVE NO INFLUENCE
ON THE SITUATION, WITH THE SPECTER OF A CIVIL WAR HANGING
OVER THE COUNTRY. IN THE JUNE 9 PRESS CONFERENCE, HE
ADMITTED THAT THE RESOLUTION COULD GIVE A MANDATE TO THE
SLOVAK SOLDIERS, HOWEVER HE DOUBTED WHETHER THEY ARE IN IRAQ
FOR A JUSTIFIED CAUSE. IN A JUNE 13 TELEVISED DEBATE, FICO
SAID THE UNSC RESOLUTION DOES NOT ENTITLE SLOVAK TROOPS TO
STAY IN IRAQ. VICE-CHAIRMAN OF SMER ROBERT KALINAK COMMENTED
PUBLICLY THAT THE MISSION OF SLOVAK TROOPS HAS NO DEEPER
SENSE. ALTHOUGH THEY ARE MINE DISPOSAL SPECIALISTS, SO FAR
THEY HAVE STAYED IN THEIR CAMP AND THROUGHOUT THEIR
DEPLOYMENT IN IRAQ THEY HAVE UNNECESSARILY EXPOSED THEMSELVES
TO DANGER. KALINAK TOLD POLOFFS JUNE 10 THAT SMER WOULD NOT
ASK FOR THE RECALL OF SLOVAK TROOPS. NOR DID HE BELIEVE THE
DISCUSSION IN PARLIAMENT WOULD HAVE ANY IMPACT ON POLICY
DECISIONS OF THE SLOVAK GOVERNMENT. WHEN WE ASKED ABOUT THE
PUBLIC IMPACT OF SUCH A DEBATE, KALINAK CLAIMED THAT 80
PERCENT OF THE PUBLIC WAS AGAINST SENDING TROOPS TO IRAQ OR
ANYWHERE ELSE.

COMMENT
--------------

5. (C) FICO TOLD THE AMBASSADOR ON PREVIOUS OCCASIONS THAT
ONCE A UNSC RESOLUTION ON IRAQ WAS PASSED, HE WOULD NO LONGER
BE OPPOSED TO SLOVAK TROOPS THERE. HIS PUBLIC STATEMENTS DO
NOT CALL FOR WITHDRAWAL OF TROOPS, ONLY DISCUSSION OF THEIR
MANDATE. KALINAK EXPLAINED TO POLOFFS THAT FICO GOT THE
MESSAGE DURING HIS RECENT VISIT TO WASHINGTON: THE U.S. DID
NOT MIND SMER BEING CRITICAL OF VARIOUS ISSUES, INCLUDING THE
U.S. AND IRAQ, BUT FICO IS AWARE THAT HE SHOULD NOT ASK FOR
THE RECALL OF TROOPS.


6. (C) PM DZURINDA AND THE AMBASSADOR DISCUSSED FICO'S
REMARKS WHEN DZURINDA CAME TO THE EMBASSY JUNE 10 TO SIGN THE
CONDOLENCE BOOK FOR RONALD REAGAN (SEPTEL). DZURINDA
LAMENTED THE STATEMENTS, PARTICULARLY THE CRITICISM THAT
SLOVAKIA WAS AN ISLAND OF AMERICAN INFLUENCE. DZURINDA TOLD
THE AMBASSADOR THAT HE WAS VERY PLEASED AT THE PASSAGE OF THE
UNSC RESOLUTION, AND CONSIDERED IT A CREDIT TO PRESIDENT
BUSH.
WEISER

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