Slovak party leaders "taken aback" by UN envoy's support for Kosovo independence
BBC Monitoring Europe (Political) - March 25, 2007 Sunday

Excerpt from report by Slovak newspaper Sme on 23 March

[Report by Miroslav Kern and Mirek Toda: "Kosovo Brings SDKU, SNS, and KDH Together"]

Martti Ahtisaari, UN chief negotiator for Kosovo, told the AP agency that independence was the only option for Kosovo. He wrote the same in his report. Some Slovak politicians have been taken aback by Ahtisaari's clear support for Kosovo's independence.

The Slovak National Party [SNS], the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia [HZDS], the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union [SDKU], and the Christian Democratic Movement [KDH] are against an independent Kosovo, Direction [Smer] is restrained, and the Hungarian Coalition Party [SMK] agrees to the secession of the province from Serbia. The chairmen of coalition parties are scheduled to discuss their positions on Kosovo at an extraordinary meeting to be held by Tuesday [27 March].

The session of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday still did not produce a proposal that would have a chance of succeeding in a vote. However, the SDKU chairman [Mikulas Dzurinda] is already saying that the SNS, the SDKU, and the KDH have, in fact, already reached an agreement and have a single joint declaration. Direction is leaning towards the opinion that the government should adopt a standpoint on this issue - not Parliament in the form of a declaration.

Slota: The Coalition Council Will Meet

"Mr Ahtisaari is not the UN. The initiative of his and a few officials cannot be the manifestation of the UN's will," said SNS Chairman Jan Slota. The SNS leader is convinced that this proposal cannot pass in the UN. Slota confirmed that the chairmen of coalition parties would deal with Kosovo at a special meeting.

"I am surprised by this report, because absolute independence and an absolute division of the Serbian territory has not been mentioned since the beginning," said Zdenka Kramplova from the HZDS. This would be a problematic precedent for the EU and the establishment of a completely independent Kosovo would also not comply with international law.

"This is a new position; Direction will have to discuss these matters," said Miroslav Ciz, head of the deputies' club of Fico's party.

"I am not surprised by Ahtisaari's report using the term 'independence.' When I read the text offered for negotiations in Vienna, which ended on 10 March and where both Pristina and Belgrade took part, a sovereign state of Kosovo was sticking out in it in at least 13 places," said SDKU Chairman Mikulas Dzurinda. According to the former prime minister, Kosovo's independence must not constitute a precedent in international law and this would be an "unheard of" situation. Dzurinda pointed out that a draft declaration of the SNS no longer existed, but instead "it was a proposal from three political parties," that is, the SDKU and the KDH as well.

We Will Also Decide on Kosovo

According to KDH Chairman Pavol Hrusovsky, a clear standpoint of Parliament is also needed because of Ahtisaari's report. "It is contrary to all international practices and agreements and it is back to front and is also contrary to all UN resolutions," he said. [passage omitted]

Source: Sme, Bratislava, in Slovak 23 Mar 07, p 2

Copyright 2007 British Broadcasting Corporation
Posted for Fair Use only.