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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