CONGRESSMAN LANTOS URGES SLOVAKIA TO RESOLVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRATISLAVA 000750 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL LE IZ LO SUBJECT: CONGRESSMAN LANTOS URGES SLOVAKIA TO RESOLVE ETHNIC TENSIONS AND TAKE ITS PLACE ON WORLD STAGE BRATISLAVA 00000750 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On September 4 in Brtislava, Representative Tom Lantos (D-California) delivered the message to the GOS that ethnic Slovak-Hungarian tensions must be resolved and that the Slovak government needs to do more to assure its role on the world stage. Rep. Lantos met with Prime Minister Robert Fico, Deputy Prime Minister Dusan Caplovic, Foreign Minister Jan Kubis, Defense Minister Frantisek Kasicky, and members of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee. All noted the strong U.S.-Slovak bilateral relationship. Lantos's interlocutors assured him that they condemned ethnic extremism, requested that the Hungarians also carry their weight in reducing tensions, and said that Slovakia will remain a strong ally of the U.S. on global and Middle East issues, noting their presence in Iraq and Lebanon. In response to Lantos's direct criticism of the inclusion of the nationalist SNS party in the governing coalition, PM Fico and FM Kubis both requested that their government be evaluated on its policy and action, not the mere existence of a legitimate, albeit extreme, political party. Rep. Lantos agreed to pass a message from PM Fico to Hungarian PM Gyurcsany about Fico's commitment to deal with the problem. The Congressman, who informed the media that he had not yet made a decision on whether to introduce a resolution criticizing the Fico government for including SNS, told us that he was "leaning against" it. Throughout the day-long visit, the Congressman received several inquiries about the Visa Waiver Program. END SUMMARY. SLOVAK-HUNGARIAN ETHNIC TENSIONS AND SNS -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Rep. Lantos straightforwardly told the Slovak politicians that, while it is privilege of elected Slovak officials to include the xenophobic Slovak National Party (SNS) in the governing coalition, it is the privilege of others to criticize this decision. The current international criticism is a self-inflicted wound. The GOS must resolve the rising Slovak-Hungarian ethnic tensions, exemplified by the attack on an ethnic Hungarian university student by skinheads in the Slovak town of Nitra. At the same time, Lantos noted, Hungarian soccer hooligans should not be chanting extremist anti-Slovak and anti-Semitic slogans at soccer matches. 
 ¶3. (SBU) In separate meetings, both PM Fico and FM Kubis defended the inclusion of SNS as a junior partner in the government as a viable method for the social-democratic party Smer to remain firmly in control of the government. They condemned manifestations of extremism within Slovakia. The international community, both men pointed out, should judge the GOS on its current policy and deeds, not on the past statements of controversial SNS Chairman Jan Slota, whom Fico said he had expressly excluded from a government position. The GOS as a whole, and Fico and Kubis personally, had condemned all acts of extremism numerous times. The police were aggressively pursuing the investigation of the attack in Nitra and had created a special unit to handle cases of extremist crimes. NOT A ONE-WAY STREET -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The PM and FM said that the (Slovak) Party of the Hungarian Coalition (SMK) and some officials in Hungary are complicit in fanning the flames of ethnic tensions for political gain. Efforts to relieve tensions must be a two-way street. FM Kubis outlined his extensive contact with Hungarian FM Kinga Goncz and listed their joint efforts, past and planned, to help quell ethnic tensions. PM Fico requested that Rep. Lantos pass the message to Hungarian PM Gyurcsany that the GOS is ready to resolve the issue using all the tools at its disposal and that he asks the GOH to do the same. Additionally, Fico encourages Gyurcsany to start a normal dialogue with him, including standard European issues. (NOTE: Embassy Budapest reports that Rep. Lantos passed this message to PM Gyurcsany in Budapest the same evening. Gyurcsany responded that while he did not want to blow the issue out of proportion, he had to address it head-on. It appears the two leaders may meet in Slovakia in mid-October. END NOTE.) LANTOS-KUBIS PRESS CONFERENCE -------------- ¶5. (U) Rep. Lantos and FM Kubis followed-up their meeting with a joint press conference at the MFA. The Congressman BRATISLAVA 00000750 002.2 OF 002 condemned the recent attack against an ethnic Hungarian woman in Nitra for speaking Hungarian on her cell phone, though noting that such racial attacks take place around the world. He remarked that Slovak-Hungarian tensions paled in comparison to global issues such as terrorism. Kubis announced that the GOS had zero tolerance for extremism and noted the strong bilateral relationship that Slovakia and the U.S. share. The Slovak media reported objectively on the Congressman's statements. ¶6. (SBU) Rep. Lantos commented during the press conference, in response to a reporter's question, that he might consider submitting a resolution to Congress to censure the Slovak government for its choice to include SNS. However, he later told Ambassador Vallee, "I'm leaning against it." SMK Chairman Bela Bugar told the Ambassador on Sept. 5 that such a resolution would not help the ethnic Hungarian cause in Slovakia at this time, but rather could inflame tensions further. IRAQ AND LEBANON -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Rep. Lantos encouraged Slovakia to assume its place in global issues and briefed on his recent visit to Lebanon and Israel. He thanked Slovakia for its current participation in various trouble spots, then urged his interlocutors to consider extending the Slovak presence in Iraq and offer a more robust contribution to forces in Lebanon. In response, officials promised that Slovakia is not leaving Iraq, but is re-evaluating the shape of its participation to ensure that its troops are used effectively. The Slovak scale-down will be done in coordination with the U.S. and Iraq. As a sign of the consultative process, FM Kubis pointed out that the Iraqi FM will be in Bratislava on September 8. ¶8. (SBU) Defense Minister Kasicky noted that Slovakia already sends 3.75 percent of its armed forces abroad, a higher figure than other EU contributors. The country's involvement in Lebanon is three-fold: helping refugees get to Cyprus during the conflict, providing observers in UNDOF on the Israeli-Syrian border, and planning post-conflict participation in the form of a mobile surgical team and humanitarian aid. VISA WAIVER QUESTIONS -------------- ¶9. (SBU) FM Kubis directly requested that the U.S. change its visa policy with regards to Slovakia, i.e., include Slovakia in the Visa Waiver Program. The visa question also came up during the press conference and at the meeting with the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee. Rep. Lantos stated firmly that in the consideration of convenience for one's friends versus the safety of one's citizens, the latter wins out. He disagreed with the so-called "Polish amendment" method of applying a separate standard for one country to join VWP and promised that Congress would look at the issue again after the current recess. SILVERMAN