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DE RUEHUP #1102/01 3231445
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FM AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3591
INFO RUEHSL/AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA 1038

UNCLAS BUDAPEST 001102 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/CE JAMIE LAMORE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV LO HU
SUBJECT: HUNGARIAN/SLOVAKIAN PRIME MINISTERS MEET NOVEMEBER 
15 
 
REF: A. BUDAPEST 0516 
     ¶B. BRATISLAVA 0507 
 
 ¶1. (SBU) Summary.  In their first substantial meeting in 
more than a year, Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany of Hungary 
and Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia on November 15 
discussed ways to decrease ethnic tensions that reached a 
flash point during a November 1 soccer match in the Slovakian 
border town of Dunajska Streda.  Gyurcsany and Fico issued a 
joint statement following their meeting, committing to 
counter extremist ideologies and groups as well as searching 
for ways to strengthen cross-border, "good neighborly" 
relations.  While this meeting is a small, positive step 
forward, much remains to be done to address fundamental 
minority issues, which, over the past two years, have been 
exacerbated by ultra-nationalist groups on both sides of the 
border - in particular the right-wing Jobbik party and Magyar 
Garda in Hungary, and Slovak National Party head Jan Slota in 
Slovakia.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) During the past year, Hungarian Prime Minister 
Ferenc Gyurcsany and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico 
have been standing in the wings - stage left and stage right 
- unable to find the right moment - or reason - to move to 
stage center for a substantive meeting.  Only in the 
aftermath of violence at a soccer match in the Slovakian 
border town of Dunajska Streda (Dunaszerdahely in Hungarian) 
on November 1, where Slovak riot police injured more than 60 
of the 800 Hungarian fans in attendance (ref B), did the two 
agree to meet November 15. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Following the meeting, the Prime Ministers issued a 
four-point, joint statement committing to: reject extremist 
ideology and groups; strengthen a commitment to use all 
possible political and legal tools to counter extremists 
ideologies; protect the cultural identity of ethnic 
minorities living in both countries; and nurture the "good 
neighborly" relationships between the two countries in order 
to further strengthen cross-border economic and other 
cooperation. 
 
¶4. (SBU) While the meeting is a small step forward to improve 
bi-lateral relations, the main Hungarian opposition party, 
Fidesz, took Gyurcsany to task after Saturday's meeting for 
being "incapable of protecting Hungarian citizens."  The 
Fidesz Press Spokesman noted that the Prime Minister did not 
press Fico to provide a full report on the Slovak police 
actions - reported as excessive in the majority of the 
Hungarian press - during the November 1 soccer match. 
However, as a follow-up to Saturday's meeting, Gyurcsany sent 
a letter to Fico on Sunday, November 16, requesting that the 
Slovak Prime Minister charge an independent authority to 
investigate the incident. 
 
¶5. (SBU) In response, during a Sunday Slovak television 
program as reported by Hungarian press, Fico indicated that 
the Slovakian Chief Public Prosecutor is suitably well 
qualified to handle the issue.  Continuing, Fico commented 
that Gyurcsany was in a much tougher position vis-a-vis 
extremism due to the economic and political situation in 
Hungary - one that lends itself to strengthening extremist 
views.  That said, Slovak Government coalition partner and 
Slovak National Party leader Jan Slota's frequent statements 
slurring Hungarian politicians and national symbols (ref A) 
legitimizes the Slovakian Government's anti-Hungarian 
attitude in the minds of many Hungarians. 
 
¶6. (SBU) There are, however, Hungarian politicians who are 
working to engage their Slovak partners on these bi-lateral 
issues.  Our contacts in Parliament told us on November 17 
that Speaker Katalin Szili plans to meet her opposite on 
December 3.  Additionally, Matyas Eorsi, SZDSZ (Free 
Democrat) Chairman of Parliament's European Affairs 
Committee, told us on November 14 that during a meeting with 
his counterpart, he admitted that Hungary needs to deal with 
its own extremists, hoping this would encourage a "spirit of 
self-criticism" from his opposite number.  That said, in a 
follow-up conversation on November 17, Eorsi commented that 
he did not expect anything major to come out of the Prime 
Ministers' meeting, noting that Fico needs to keep the 
radicals in his camp for the next elections. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Comment.  It is an interesting statement on the 
status of Hungarian/Slovakian bi-lateral relations that a 
violent soccer match provided the impetus for the two Prime 
Ministers to meet after a year of on-again, off-again planned 
meetings.  While both Gyurcsany and Fico committed to counter 
extremism, they failed to address the many root causes on 
both sides of the border, which include: irredentist goals of 
 
the Hungarian far-right; establishment of the Forum of 
Hungarian parliamentarians as a perceived pretext to 
interfere in internal Slovakian politics; restrictions on use 
of Hungarian language in Slovakian textbooks; perceived 
limited financial support to Slovakian schools with ethnic 
Hungarian majorities; Slovak reaffirmation of "collective 
guilt" legislation; and perhaps most significantly, Prime 
Minister Fico's apparent unwillingness to distance himself 
from Slota's numerous highly disrespectful and demeaning 
comments about Hungarians.  We will watch with interest the 
results of his promise on November 16 to "attempt to 
convince" Slota to stop insulting Hungarian people and their 
politicians, as well as Gyurcsany's guidance to Justice and 
Law Enforcement Minister Draskovics to develop proposals to 
counter radical, extremist movements that damage the 
reputation of Hungary and serve as a catalyst for 
anti-Hungarian behavior in the region.  End comment. 
 
¶8. (SBU) This cable was coordinated with Embassy Bratislava. 
Foley