ORBAN IN SLOVAKIA: FOMENTS FEARS ABOUT INTENTIONS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRATISLAVA 000449

SIPDIS

FOR EUR/CE J. MOORE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV HU LO
SUBJECT: ORBAN IN SLOVAKIA: FOMENTS FEARS ABOUT INTENTIONS

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1. Summary: Victor Orban, Chairman of Hungary's Fidesz
(Hungarian Civic Union) party was a guest speaker at the
Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) convention on Saturday, October
17, in Rimavska Sobota, Eastern Slovakia. Orban provoked the
consternation of many in Slovakia by alluding to autonomy for
the ethnic Hungarian communities living outside of Hungary.
Orban's participation is widely seen here both as his own
pre-election posturing as well as a ploy by SMK leadership
(especially Chairman Pal Csaky) to shore up ethnic-Hungarian
support in anticipation of next June's national elections at a
time where SMK's polling numbers are dangerously close to the
five percent minimum for parliamentary representation. End
Summary.




2. In his October 17 address to the SMK convention, Victor Orban
called on ethnic-Hungarians living in Slovakia to acknowledge
their Hungarian descent "even at times when it brings no
benefits," and urged the Hungarian minority not to succumb to
nationalistic pressure in Slovakia. Orban stated that
"Hungarians living here in the Carpathian Basin, should also
view [them]selves behind borders not as a minority, but as a
nation-forming community." Orban also said that "every ethnic
community has certain rights" and "every community has the right
to autonomy, which is a widely accepted European value."




3. Orban praised SMK leaders for their attendance at the Forum
of MPs of the Carpathian Basin, and said that "everybody in
Hungary will be pleased if you take part. Hungary is sending a
message to you - Hungary is with you, Hungary is with Felvidek."
(Note: Felvidek is the Hungarian word for the "uplands" used
during the Habsburg dual monarchy prior to 1918 for most of the
territory which is now Slovakia.)




4. Orban's visit prompted widespread criticism from all
non-Hungarian elements of the Slovak political spectrum. Slovak
Democratic and Christian Union (SDKU) Chairman Mikulas Dzurinda
said that "I don't know any normal person who wouldn't think
that the borders after WWII are inviolable. This only underlines
how stupid and ridiculous Orban's dream is." Interior Minister
and influential SMER politician Robert Kalinak opined that
Orban's goal in addressing the SMK convention was to
deliberately incite them and that "it's no good continuing in a
dialogue on Slovak-Hungarian relations in a paranoid fashion."
Slovak National Party Chairman Jan Slota called Orban's visit
"dangerous" and said it is obvious Orban is "emphasizing the
unity of the Hungarian nation in a single political group, which
is supposed to begin with political autonomy of the territories
of the countries neighboring Hungary."




5. Furthermore, on Monday, October 19, just two days after
Orban's visit, PM Robert Fico said Slovakia will either veto
Czech President Klaus's proposal for a Czech exemption from the
Treaty of Lisbon vis-a-vis the Benes Decrees or insist the same
exemption applies to Slovakia. "If we don't do that, I can
foresee immediate attempts to attack the Benes Decrees that
would entail less political protection than that enjoyed in the
Czech Republic," Fico noted. In Slovakia, the Benes Decrees
are identified with the expulsion of ethnic-Hungarians and the
confiscation of their property post-WWII for their alleged
collaboration with the Nazis.




6. SMK Chairman Csaky attempted to downplay Orban's
controversial statements and said that Orban came to Slovakia on
friendly terms and was merely discussing European norms for
minority life. In a Median poll conducted in September and
released on October 19, neither SMK nor Most-Hid ("Bridge"),the
newly formed ethnic-Hungarian party which splintered off from
SMK earlier this year, have enough support to gain entrance into
Parliament. Five percent of the vote is required; SMK received
4.6 percent and Most-Hid received 3.1 percent.




7. Embassy Bratislava Comment: Orban's visit to Slovakia is just
another volley across the net in the ping pong match we are
watching here in the run-up to Slovak and Hungarian national
elections. We agree with Dzurinda's assessment that "Many a
time it seems to me that Slota needs Csaky, and the other way
round, so that they can really make things worse, and sometimes
Csaky needs Orban. It's hopeless unperspective politics."
Unfortunately, stirring the nationalist pot seems easier for

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these politicians than addressing the truly pressing issues of
economic recovery, corruption, and real minority integration.
"Nation-building" and references to "Felvidek" is exactly the
sort of language that causes even the most open-minded Slovaks
to fear that Orban and Fidesz will challenge the status quo.
End comment.




8. Embassy Budapest Comment: While all Hungarian dailies covered
Orban's visit and his comments, including "the Slovak Language
Act is a cultural aggression against European values," there
have yet to be editorials addressing his visit. Interestingly,
Fidesz introduced a legislative proposal on October 19 that
would amend the current citizenship law to eliminate the
requirement for an ethnic Hungarian to physically live in
Hungary to obtain citizenship. While unlikely that this
proposal will garner enough support for passage, it will most
likely further ratchet up Slovak fears of a Fidesz government
coming to power next spring. End comment.




9. This message was coordinated with Embassy Budapest.
EDDINS