Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07BRATISLAVA638
2007-12-04 17:03:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Bratislava
Cable title:  

SLOVAKIA: AMBASSADOR'S FAREWELL DINNER WITH PRIME

Tags:  PREL PGOV LO MARR KIVR 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0011
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSL #0638/01 3381703
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 041703Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1357
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000638 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/NCE, INR/EU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV LO MARR KIVR
SUBJECT: SLOVAKIA: AMBASSADOR'S FAREWELL DINNER WITH PRIME
MINISTER FICO

Classified By: Ambassador Rodolphe M. Vallee, for Reasons 1.4 b and d

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000638

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/NCE, INR/EU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV LO MARR KIVR
SUBJECT: SLOVAKIA: AMBASSADOR'S FAREWELL DINNER WITH PRIME
MINISTER FICO

Classified By: Ambassador Rodolphe M. Vallee, for Reasons 1.4 b and d


1. (C) Summary. Prime Minister Robert Fico hosted a
farewell dinner for Ambassador Vallee on December 2. Interior
Minister Kalinak, Speaker of the Parliament Pavol Paska, and
the Prime Minister's Director of Foreign Relations, Marek
Estok, also attended the dinner. The tone of the conversation
was frank and very cordial; the substance reflected PM Fico's
thorough preoccupation with domestic politics. Fico, Kalinak
and Paska had each appeared on television throughout the day
to contest opposition leader Mikulas Dzurinda's accusations
of impropriety in connection with a 2002 land purchase by
Fico. Fico angrily noted that he would file libel charges
against Dzurinda and described the recent opposition attacks
on himself and Parliament Speaker Paska as "unprecedented."
Fico also spoke frankly about his recent battles with
Vladimir Meciar, referring to him alternately as a "beaten
dog" and dangerous. Nevertheless, the Prime Minister would
prefer to see the current coalition hold until 2010, but not,
as he as said publicly, at any price. Regardless of the
timing of elections, he predicts that they will likely
produce a two-party coalition led by Smer.


2. (C) On Kosovo, Fico commented that EU heads of government
felt enormous pressure to reach a unified position (including
on recognition) on Kosovo. This would be very difficult, he
added, in the event of a unilateral declaration on the part
of the Kosovars. In response to the Ambassador's thorough
update on U.S. Missile Defense consultations, the Prime
Minister claimed that he would not be very engaged in the
topic, but states his personal views when asked by the press.
Fico inquired about the status of discussion on Missile
Defense in NATO and stated clearly -- drawing parallels to
U.S. intelligence failures on Iraq -- that he does not
believe that the ballistic missile threat affects Central
Europe. End Summary.


Domestic Politics: Constant Turbulence
--------------



3. (C) Fico, Paska and Kalinak provided colorful and at times
humorous accounts of various pivotal moments in recent the
Smer-HZDS land fund drama. "Meciar is a beaten dog and we
will continue to beat him day and night," commented Fico.
When asked by the Ambassador whether Meciar might, at this
point, be more interested in exacting revenge for his public
comeuppance than in remaining in the coalition, Fico agreed,
adding that Meciar was both clever and dangerous. In fact,
Fico and Paska asserted that HZDS was the source of
Dzurinda's claims that Fico's purchase in 2002 of a small
vineyard was an example of the very same sort of crooked
transaction which he himself had just condemned. (Comment:
More than one opposition politician has confirmed that HZDS
was behind Dzurinda's attack. However, the information that
has come to light to date does not make a compelling case of
wrongdoing on the part of the Prime Minister. End Comment.)
Paska added that HZDS deputies had even stated (stupidly)
publicly that the reason the party had not joined Smer and
SNS in blocking the opposition's recall attempt last week was
to exact "revenge" on Smer. Throughout the dispute, Fico had
reached out to HZDS deputies, giving rise to speculation that
he could woo enough MPs away from the party (6-7) so that he
could govern without Meciar. The Prime Minister said he had
rejected this path because he concluded that while these
renegade MPs would vote with Smer initially, there would
likely be an unacceptable price attached to their subsequent
support.


4. (C) In spite of the drama and distractions, Fico claimed
that he would prefer to maintain the current coalition until
the 2010 elections. "It is our responsibility to govern, so
we will try to keep the coalition together," he commented.
The Prime Minister also predicted that once Meciar had left
the political stage the bulk of HZDS voters would join Smer.
After the next elections, Fico opined, it was likely that
Sme would govern with only one other partner, possibly the
Slovak National Party (SNS) or the Christian Democrats (KDH).
Speaker Paska, who, contrary to his boss favors early
elections, responded with a ringing "no" to the possibility
of a Smer-SDKU partnership. Implicitly drawing a contrast
between the success of his social democratic approach and the
unpopularity of Dzurinda's reformist agenda, Fico mentioned
that he had just opened another state-funded community soccer
field. (The government plans to open another 150 next year.)
According to Fico, Dzurinda could have undertaken easily such

initiatives, but he either didn't understand or didn't care
about the impact such programs had on public opinion. As for
Dzurinda's current opposition tactics, e.g., his insistence
on pursuing a recall of Fico following expected passage of
both the budget and a motion of confidence in the government,
Fico expressed contempt and anger. He confirmed that he
would bring charges against Dzurinda for making false claims
against him on the land deal. Apropos of false claims, Fico
added that the government was pursuing actively legislation
aimed at forcing the press to publish the government's
response to reports its deems inaccurate. (Comment: Such a
move would be widely view as a step backwards. End Comment.)


5. (C) Although Fico asserted that Smer has been very
successful in creating a coherent center-left movement in
Slovakia, he acknowledged that the party needed to broaden
further its social democratic base and message. To that end,
Smer had recently signed an agreement with the Greens. Fico
hopes the parties can find mutually acceptable policy
initiatives -- aimed in particular at the youth vote --
that could be incorporated in the Smer platform. It remains
to be seen, he concluded, whether SDKU and the other
opposition parties could consolidate the center-right space
in a similar fashion.


Kosovo, Missile Defense and the Euro
--------------


6. (C) In response to the Ambassador's call for U.S.-EU unity
on Kosovo in the weeks and months ahead, PM Fico responded
that while Slovakia would not recognize a unilateral
declaration of independence, he did not believe that Kosovo
was an issue of importance for the Slovak people. Recalling
conversations with other EU leaders, however, he emphasized
the great importance they attached to reaching a unified EU
position on Kosovo, including on the question of recognition.
On missile defense, Fico claimed that although he was not
engaged in the issue, he provided his personal views when
asked by the press. Fico did not pose any questions
following the Ambassador's thorough briefing on the status of
consultations in NATO and Russia. Instead, he harked back to
U.S. claims about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and
said that he, like his friend Czech opposition leader
Paroubek, would need to see convincing proof of a threat to
Central Europe before he would be willing to support plans
for missile defense. Fico was more animated on the topic of
his travel the following day to Brussels to lobby for
Slovakia's entry into the Eurozone. He expressed confidence
that Slovakia was on track, but noted that he and Finance
Minister Pociatek needed to convince Brussels that the GOS
was committed to a path of fiscal responsibility and
restraint that would enable it to sustain inflation rates and
other Maastricht criteria.







VALLEE