VZCZCXYZ0028
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSL #0733/01 2431114
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 311114Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA
TO RUEHUP/AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST IMMEDIATE 0905
INFO RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST PRIORITY 1818
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0268

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000733 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
BUDAPEST FOR HAMILTON, PLEASE PASS TO LANTOS 
BUCHAREST FOR NELSON, PLEASE PASS TO LANTOS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM LO
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON SLOVAK-HUNGARIAN TENSIONS FOR VISIT OF 
CONGRESSMAN LANTOS 
 
¶1. (SBU) This cable is intended to highlight the latest 
events in Slovak-Hungarian tensions since your departure from 
the U.S. on August 21.  Any necessary updates on other 
ongoing issues in Slovakia will be provided at a briefing 
upon your arrival in Bratislava on September 4. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The GOS is sensitive to the Slovak-Hungarian ethnic 
tensions and knows that it must deal with this issue.  Even 
before the recent spate of incidents including flag-burning 
video clips, soccer hooligan banner-waving, and physical 
attacks, this issue was the impetus behind FM Jan Kubis's 
first official trip abroad being to Budapest.  Kubis has 
remained at the forefront of this issue and is in regular 
consultation with Hungarian FM Kinga Goncz.  Kubis and Goncz 
held a televised dialogue on August 29 and plan another joint 
event for the upcoming weekend. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico most recently 
spoke on the subject on August 29.  He strongly condemned all 
expressions of extremism and said he would support any 
meaningful resolution put forth in parliament, including any 
submitted by the Slovak Hungarian Coalition (SMK), to 
denounce extremism and intolerance.  (NOTE: A declaration 
condemning extremism and intolerance, initiated by SMK with 
the support of other parliamentary parties, is expected to be 
issued later today.  END NOTE.)  That said, the GOS feels 
that the GOH and SMK are exacerbating the tensions for 
political gain.  PM Fico is worried about ethnic tensions 
leading to European-wide isolation, starting with the 
discussion in early July of a suspension of Smer's membership 
in the Party of European Socialists for including the Slovak 
National Party (SNS) as a junior partner in their governing 
coalition.  Fico did not attend an August 23-24 meeting of 
European Socialists in Vienna.  It is believed that his lack 
of attendance was due to calls from the Hungarian 
representatives to elevate Slovakia's issues with ethnic 
tensions to international forums.  Both SMK and the GOH are 
looking to Fico to say and do more against extremism.  Fico 
has consistently tempered his denunciations of extremism with 
shots at SMK and the GOH to stop attempting to dictate the 
actions of the GOS.  Deputy Prime Minister Dusan Caplovic, 
with whom you will be meeting and who holds the portfolio for 
minority rights, has been more forceful in speaking out 
against extremism and intolerance, despite his nationalist 
background. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Slovak police have consistently acted against 
extremism.  They have charged the perpetrators of a video 
showing the burning of a Hungarian flag and the shouting of 
anti-Hungarian sentiments with "promoting an ideology that 
suppresses the rights of others," arrested soccer hooligans 
waving anti-Hungarian banners at matches, detained members of 
a banned extremist group when they attempted to interrupt a 
public commemoration of a Slovak holiday, created a special 
unit to find the perpetrators of an attack on an 
ethnic-Hungarian woman, and immediately arrested the 
attackers of an ethnic-Hungarian young man.  The GOS would 
like to see the GOH take similar police action in cases of 
Hungarians waving anti-Slovak banners at soccer games in 
Hungary. 
 
 
¶5. (U) A timeline of recent events: 
 
- 23 August: PM Fico, FM Kubis and other cabinet members 
attend the Hungarian Embassy's reception in honor of St. 
Stephen's Day in a symbolic gesture of outreach. 
 
- 25 August: DPM Dusan Caplovic holds a meeting and joint 
press conference with SMK head Bela Bugar.  Caplovic publicly 
condemns extremism and extremist acts.  The two agree to 
monitoring of extremist incidents in Slovakia's 
ethnically-mixed areas. 
 
- 25 August, cont: A 23-yr-old ethnic Hungarian student is 
physically attacked by skinheads in Nitra for speaking 
Hungarian on a her cell phone.  Head of Slovak police Jan 
Packa says he will not tolerate any extremist actions.  He 
creates a special unit for the investigation of this crime. 
SNS releases a statement remarking that there is no 
justification for physical attacks by extremists. 
 
- 26 August: PM Fico publicly denounces extremism.  He also 
says that there is no need for others to appeal to the 
Government of Slovakia to reject extremism. 
 
- 26 August, cont: Slovak police arrest three men for waving 
 
a banner with the words "Death to Hungarians" at a soccer 
match in Banska Bystrica. 
 
-26 August, cont: Six men physically attack a 19-yr-old male, 
allegedly for speaking Hungarian, in the town of 
Sladkovicovo.  However, it is not clear that this was a 
simple case of ethnic hatred since the assailants and the 
victim had known each other for years and the attackers were 
drunk.  Slovak police immediately arrest the perpetrators. 
 
- 27 August: PM Fico calls on politicians and the media to 
stop inflaming nationalist extremism. 
 
- 28 August: PM Fico denounces all acts of extremism and 
promises that the GOS and police will act immediately, 
whenever necessary.  He adds that it is not up to Hungary to 
dictate Slovakia's responses. 
 
- 28 August, cont: Slovak Ambassador to Hungary Juraj Migas 
informs the GOH that all Slovak parties - including SNS - 
unambiguously reject demonstrations of extremism and 
intolerance in Slovakia and Hungary.  He adds that the GOH's 
disproportionate reactions are contributing to the tensions. 
He notes that Hungarian efforts to bring the issue to 
international forums are intentionally harming Slovakia's 
reputation. 
 
- 29 August: In what is regarded as his first truly strong 
statement on the issue, PM Fico condemns all expressions of 
extremism, again noting that external appeals to do so are 
unnecessary.  He says he is ready to support everything in 
parliament which denounces extremism and intolerance, 
including any meaningful resolution that SMK would submit. 
 
- 29 August, cont: Slovak police detain more than 10 members 
of Slovenska Pospolitost, a banned extremist group which 
attempted to interrupt the commemoration of the Slovak 
National Uprising, an event which PM Fico was attending in 
Banska Bystrica. 
 
- 30 August: FM Kubis announces that the GOS condemns 
extremism not only as a matter of policy, but also in action 
by police investigations and arrests.  He asks Hungary to 
demonstrate similar specific actions in fighting extremism. 
Kubis also claims that SMK is participating in a campaign to 
discredit the GOS. 
 
- 31 August: FM Kubis said that he hopes Slovakia's 
international partners recognize the day-and-night efforts 
that the GOS is making on this issue.  President Gasparovic 
expressed concerned over the increasing number of 
manifestations of intolerance.  He cannot agree with any 
possible justification for such acts.  He added that Slovakia 
should not be inappropriately criticized for such incidents, 
but rather should be praised (for the way in which Slovakia 
is dealing with them.) 
 
VALLEE