US embassy cable - 04BRATISLAVA580

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000580 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINR, IZ, LO 
SUBJECT: FICO CALLS SLOVAKIA "ISLAND OF AMERICAN INFLUENCE" 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR WEISER FOR REASON 1.4 (B) 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY: ROBERT FICO, LEADER OF OPPOSITION PARTY SMER, 
RESPONDED TO THE JUNE 8 DEATHS OF THREE SLOVAK SOLDIERS IN 
IRAQ AND THE PASSAGE OF THE UNSC RESOLUTION ON IRAQ BY 
LAMBASTING THE DZURINDA GOVERNMENT'S FOREIGN POLICY, 
PARTICULARLY ITS CLOSE TIES TO THE U.S.  FELLOW SMER MP 
ROBERT KALINAK TOLD POLOFFS THAT SMER PLANNED TO BE VERY 
    CRITICAL OF DZURINDA'S POLICIES IN THE COMING WEEK.  HE ALSO 
SAID FICO HAD RETURNED FROM WASHINGTON WITH THE MESSAGE THAT 
SMER COULD BE CRITICAL OF U.S. POLICY AS LONG AS IT DIDN'T 
ASK FOR THE RECALL FROM IRAQ OF SLOVAK TROOPS.  FICO'S 
MESSAGE WAS SURELY DESIGNED IN PART TO WIN SUPPORT FOR SMER'S 
CANDIDATES IN JUNE 13 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2. (U)  IN A JUNE 9 PRESS CONFERENCE, SMER'S ROBERT FICO 
ACCUSED THE GOVERNMENT OF MAKING SLOVAKIA INTO AN "ISLAND OF 
AMERICAN INFLUENCE" IN CENTRAL EUROPE, EVADING INTERNATIONAL 
LAW AND PARTICIPATING IN EXPERIMENTS OF THE BUSH 
ADMINISTRATION, SUCH AS THE MILITARY INTERVENTION IN IRAQ. 
HE CALLED ON THE GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE OBJECTIVE INFORMATION 
TO THE PARLIAMENT ON WHAT SLOVAK SOLDIERS ARE DOING IN IRAQ 
AND WHAT THE SITUATION IS IN THE COUNTRY.  ACCORDING TO FICO 
IT IS NECESSARY FOR PARLIAMENT TO DISCUSS THE GOVERNMENT'S 
FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY. 
 
3. (U) FICO CRITICIZED PRIME MINISTER MIKULAS DZURINDA AND 
HIS SLOVAK DEMOCRATIC AND CHRISTIAN UNION (SDKU).  HE SAID HE 
CONSIDERS SDKU'S POLICY AS PRO-AMERICAN DESPITE DECLARATIONS 
OF GOOD RELATIONS WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION. HE EXPRESSED DOUBT 
THAT SDKU DEPUTIES ELECTED TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT WOULD 
ADVOCATE EUROPEAN INTERESTS. HE PROMISED THAT SMER AND ITS 
DEPUTIES WOULD ALWAYS SUPPORT THE FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY 
OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AS WELL AS A CLOSER ORIENTATION TO 
GERMANY AND FRANCE. 
 
4. (U) FICO SAID SMER IS STILL ANALYZING THE NEW UNSC 
RESOLUTION ON IRAQ.  HOWEVER, HE ADDED, NOTHING WILL CHANGE 
    IN THE LIFE OF THE IRAQIS AND THE UN WILL HAVE NO INFLUENCE 
ON THE SITUATION, WITH THE SPECTER OF A CIVIL WAR HANGING 
OVER THE COUNTRY.  IN THE JUNE 9 PRESS CONFERENCE, HE 
ADMITTED THAT THE RESOLUTION COULD GIVE A MANDATE TO THE 
SLOVAK SOLDIERS, HOWEVER HE DOUBTED WHETHER THEY ARE IN IRAQ 
FOR A JUSTIFIED CAUSE.  IN A JUNE 13 TELEVISED DEBATE, FICO 
SAID THE UNSC RESOLUTION DOES NOT ENTITLE SLOVAK TROOPS TO 
STAY IN IRAQ.  VICE-CHAIRMAN OF SMER ROBERT KALINAK COMMENTED 
PUBLICLY THAT THE MISSION OF SLOVAK TROOPS HAS NO DEEPER 
SENSE. ALTHOUGH THEY ARE MINE DISPOSAL SPECIALISTS, SO FAR 
THEY HAVE STAYED IN THEIR CAMP AND THROUGHOUT THEIR 
DEPLOYMENT IN IRAQ THEY HAVE UNNECESSARILY EXPOSED THEMSELVES 
TO DANGER.  KALINAK TOLD POLOFFS JUNE 10 THAT SMER WOULD NOT 
ASK FOR THE RECALL OF SLOVAK TROOPS.  NOR DID HE BELIEVE THE 
DISCUSSION IN PARLIAMENT WOULD HAVE ANY IMPACT ON POLICY 
DECISIONS OF THE SLOVAK GOVERNMENT.  WHEN WE ASKED ABOUT THE 
PUBLIC IMPACT OF SUCH A DEBATE, KALINAK CLAIMED THAT 80 
PERCENT OF THE PUBLIC WAS AGAINST SENDING TROOPS TO IRAQ OR 
ANYWHERE ELSE. 
 
COMMENT 
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5. (C) FICO TOLD THE AMBASSADOR ON PREVIOUS OCCASIONS THAT 
ONCE A UNSC RESOLUTION ON IRAQ WAS PASSED, HE WOULD NO LONGER 
BE OPPOSED TO SLOVAK TROOPS THERE.  HIS PUBLIC STATEMENTS DO 
NOT CALL FOR WITHDRAWAL OF TROOPS, ONLY DISCUSSION OF THEIR 
MANDATE.  KALINAK EXPLAINED TO POLOFFS THAT FICO GOT THE 
MESSAGE DURING HIS RECENT VISIT TO WASHINGTON: THE U.S. DID 
NOT MIND SMER BEING CRITICAL OF VARIOUS ISSUES, INCLUDING THE 
U.S. AND IRAQ, BUT FICO IS AWARE THAT HE SHOULD NOT ASK FOR 
THE RECALL OF TROOPS. 

6. (C) PM DZURINDA AND THE AMBASSADOR DISCUSSED FICO'S 
REMARKS WHEN DZURINDA CAME TO THE EMBASSY JUNE 10 TO SIGN THE 
CONDOLENCE BOOK FOR RONALD REAGAN (SEPTEL).  DZURINDA 
LAMENTED THE STATEMENTS, PARTICULARLY THE CRITICISM THAT 
SLOVAKIA WAS AN ISLAND OF AMERICAN INFLUENCE.  DZURINDA TOLD 
THE AMBASSADOR THAT HE WAS VERY PLEASED AT THE PASSAGE OF THE 
UNSC RESOLUTION, AND CONSIDERED IT A CREDIT TO PRESIDENT 
BUSH. 
WEISER 
 
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