Slovak party leader Slota attacks UN plan of Kosovo state

Slovak party leader Slota attacks UN plan of Kosovo state
CTK National News Wire - February 8, 2007 Thursday 1:16 PM (Central European Time)

Bratislava Feb 8 (CTK) - Leader of the junior coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) Jan Slota today resolutely rejected the plan of U.N. Special Envoy Martii Ahtisaari that reckons with a limited independence of Kosovo and compared it to the Munich Agreement.

In the 1938 Munich Agreement, Britain, France and Italy agreed that border regions of then Czechoslovakia in which Germans lived would be handed to Nazi Germany.

Slota also labelled Kosovar Albanians criminals.

"We let drug smugglers and people traffickers form their independent state," Slota told journalists.

Slota said that the Slovak parliament should pass a declaration under which Slovak diplomacy would have to defend the unchangeability of present Serbian borders.

Slota as leader of the far-right SNS has been known for his controversial statements, aimed mainly against the 500,000-strong Hungarian minority in 5-million Slovakia. After the SNS joined the government last summer, it seemed that Slota got his temper at least partly under control.

Slota believes that minorities have no right to have their own independent states. Kosovo's autonomy would be a precedent for further countries, he said.

The SNS stated earlier that possible independence of Kosovo would support separatist efforts of the Hungarian minority settled in southern Slovakia.

Ahtisaari submitted the plan of Kosovo's limited sovereignty on Friday.

"It is a heap of dung what the man dared to do," Slota said about Ahtisaari's initiative.

Slota said Serbia was a "Christian shield against Islamism." He said Europe should support the Serbs.

Slovakia was against Kosovo's independence in the past. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-Social Democracy) and Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic indicated earlier that they opposed the independence of Kosovo.

However, Foreign Minister Jan Kubis admitted this week that Kosovo's independence is probably irreversible.

Mikulas Dzurinda, former Slovak PM and leader of the senior opposition Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKU-DS) said today that Kosovo should not receive independence against Belgrade's will.

"The international community should not create an independent state of Kosovo against the will of Serbia," Dzurinda said.

Dzurinda said Ahtisaari's plan is a good start for further negotiations.