VZCZCXRO2758
OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHSL #0306/01 1421222
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 221222Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0951
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0121

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRATISLAVA 000306 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/17/2015 
TAGS: PREL PGOV YI KO RU UNSC PHUM LO
SUBJECT: FORMER PM DZURINDA ON KOSOVO, RUSSIA, SLOVAK 
POLITICS 
 
REF: BRATISLAVA 270 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Rodolphe M. Vallee for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d 
) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary. Former PM Mikulas Dzurinda discussed Russia, 
Kosovo and domestic politics in an informal meeting with 
Ambassador on May 19. Dzurinda said he will continue to 
criticize PM Fico for his Russophile leanings, but 
acknowledged the Slovak public is not bothered. He decisively 
dismissed rumors he might eventually bring his SDKU party 
into the governing coalition. Dzurinda believes Serbia must 
be given time to accept a plan for Kosovo, lest it be drawn 
closer to Russia and away from the EU. End summary. 
 
¶2. (C) Dzurinda intends to stay engaged on Kosovo although he 
did not/not say he planned any assault on the Fico 
government's current stance in the UNSC. Dzurinda argued the 
Ahtisaari plan will drive Serbia closer to the Russians, who 
don't want Serbia in NATO.  Serbia must be invited into EU 
structures, and convinced to "be kind" to Kosovo. The 
inevitable division, based on mutual interest, can come in 
the future.  Dzurinda likened such a pattern to the break-up 
of Czechoslovakia.  Ambassador did not discuss the current 
UNSC deliberations lest Dzurinda get ideas for an 
intervention, but did vigorously repeat arguments in favor of 
the Kosovo final settlement envisioned by Ahtisaari. 
 
¶3. (C) Dzurinda characterized Fico's  tendency to act as a 
spokesman for the Russians as "a little bit dangerous." 
Dzurinda reminded the Ambassador that he has spoken strongly 
and publicly against such behavior, most recently in a 
televised debate with HZDS Chairman Vladimir Meciar. Dzurinda 
said the USG should be more aggressive in criticizing Fico. 
(Comment. This would obviously serve SDKU's strategy of 
isolating Fico -- we'll stick to tough private messages for 
now. End comment.) In response to a question from the 
Ambassador, Dzurinda acknowledged that the average Slovak 
does not care much about Fico's pro-Russia tilt.  Dzurinda 
intends to go to Russia to meet with "Other Russia" leader 
Gary Kasparov and former PM Mikhail Kasyanov. 
 
THE INTERNAL POLITICAL SCENE 
---------------------------- 
¶4. (C) Dzurinda spoke privately with Meciar for over an hour 
after the debate.  According to Dzurinda, Meciar was 
concerned by rumors that SDKU is prepared to go into 
coalition with Fico.  Dzurinda told Meciar there were things 
that were possible and things that were crazy -- and going 
with Fico was crazy.  Relieved, Meciar said he wanted to push 
Fico more, but was wary of Dzurinda defecting to Fico. 
Dzurinda said he told Meciar to push all he wanted -- the 
more the better -- and drive Fico crazy. 
 
¶5. (C) Dzurinda noted that while SNS Chairman Jan Slota 
continues to play the "let's get rich" game, Meciar has all 
the money he wants and is not personally playing that game 
within the new government.  What Meciar really craves is 
western acceptance, which he will never get with Fico and 
Slota.  Dzurinda approved of Post's policy of not meeting 
with Meciar or Slota, noting that once we did, a certain 
level of acceptance would occur. 
 
¶6. (C) Dzurinda noted that Slota's arrogance has made him 
sloppy and said SDKU is watching like a hawk for signs of 
corruption.  Dzurinda suggested Fico too may be engaging in 
corrupt activities. He mentioned Mr. Kino, a former HzDS 
privatizer and now Smer sponsor, who told Dzurinda that he 
had paid to fix up Fico's personal chalet.  In addition, 
Dzurinda claims Fico is known to ask his sponsors, after a 
few drinks, "how come you are rich and I am not."  (Comment. 
Separately, HzDS Deputy Chairman Milan Urbani told the 
Ambassador that all funds flow through Smer, which takes a 
cut of everything. End comment.) 
 
¶7. (C) Dzurinda said he will not be able to gauge the 
Christian Democratic Movement's (KDH's) willingness to work 
with Meciar (and SDKU and the ethnic Hungarian SMK) until 
after the June KDH convention.  Anyway, as long as Fico is 
still popular, Meciar doesn't see any alternate coalition as 
a viable option.  Further, with Meciar playing spoiler on 
some of Fico's initiatives (i.e., the new labor code, single 
payer health insurance), Dzurinda believes he can preserve 
the bulk of his reforms without having to prematurely bring 
down Fico's government.  Dzurinda believes current KDH 
Chairman Hrusovsky has a 5/4 chance of winning his party's 
leadership contest.  Dzurinda believes that HzDS Deputy 
Chairman Veteska was encouraged to run against Meciar by 
Fico, and that a Veteska victory would solidify the party's 
connection to Smer.  But Dzurinda has no doubt Meciar will 
crush him, and Veteska's political career is over. (See 
 
BRATISLAVA 00000306  002 OF 002 
 
 
reftel on HzDS leadership contest.) 
 
¶8. (C) Ambassador raised concerns about the treatment of 
Hedviga Malinova, an ethnic Hungarian student who has now 
been formally charged with filing a false report to police in 
connection with an ethnically-motivated attack last August. 
Becoming very animated, Dzurinda said three separate times, 
"Be very careful with this."  Dzurinda noted that right after 
the attack he had, unknown to Fico, a private meeting with 
Police Chief Packa, and the Chief was unswerving in his 
conviction that Hedviga was lying.   "Listen, I have every 
motivation to attack the government if this is true, but we 
are very unsure.  We must wait for the trial and the facts." 
VALLEE