US embassy cable - 04BRATISLAVA1147

UNCLAS  BRATISLAVA 001147 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR OES, EUR/NCE, EUR/PPD AND EUR/ACE 
STATE PASS USAID FOR EEE AND OSDA 
AGRICULTURE PASS TO FOREST SERVICE 
DEPT PASS EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AMGT, EAID, KSCA, LO, SENV 
SUBJECT: FLATTENED FOREST FACES REDEVELOPMENT DEBATE 
 
REF: BRATISLAVA 1064 
 
Sensitive but unclassified - handle accordingly 
 
1.  (U) Summary.  On November 19, 2004 hurricane force winds 
devastated the forests of Slovakia's mountainous High Tatras 
region.  As a result, nearly all the trees were uprooted in a 
forested area over 240 square kilometers in size.  Slovaks 
were deeply affected by the disaster as the Tatras are the 
region,s main tourist attraction and are considered by many 
as a unique cultural heritage site and the pride of the 
nation.  The GOS responded quickly, forming a commission to 
address the cleanup and redevelopment of the region, but 
details of their plans have been slow to emerge.  Now, 
questions have arisen about what redevelopment would mean to 
the High Tatras.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (U) Following the natural calamity, Prime Minister 
Mikulas Dzurinda called for swift action and established a 
Cabinet Commission (CC) responsible for &coordination, 
renewal, and development works in the High Tatras.8   The CC 
consists of high-level government officials including 
Dzurinda; Pavol Rusko, Minister of Economy; Laszlo Miklos, 
Minister of Environment; Zsolt Simon, Minister of 
Agriculture; as well as the Ministers of Finance, Foreign 
Affairs, Interior, and Labor, plus representation from the 
two largest opposition parties in parliament, HZDS and Smer. 
In fact, the only working level participants on the CC in its 
current incarnation are a local mayor and a city manager. 
The CC held its first official meeting December 13, 2004 and 
named Ivan Stefanec, head of Coca Cola in Slovakia, as the 
acting Executive Secretary.  (Comment: Stefanec is close 
colleague of Dzurinda and was his unsuccessful candidate to 
be Slovakia's first EU Commissioner.)  Other work at the 
meeting included the creation of a &roadmap8 for the 
removal of the fallen trees, valued at USD 136 million. 
 
3.  (U) Ever since the catastrophe, however, there has been 
media speculation that &the real ecological disaster is 
still coming8, expressing the fear that the GOS would take 
advantage of the disaster and convert the previously 
preserved land into large-scale tourist resorts.  Much of the 
concern was fueled by comments from Rusko such as, 
&protectionism should stop and modernization begin8 in the 
Tatras.  Dzurinda, though more diplomatic, also expressed a 
desire to turn the tragedy into an economic positive and 
foster growth in the region.  Only Miklos cautioned that 
redevelopment would only be done to existing tourist sites 
and that, &ski resorts would not replace the forests."  On 
December 9, in a televised debate between various NGOs, 
forestry experts, and Simon, he stated that a working group 
of experts had already prepared plans of how, when, and where 
to begin redevelopment though specific details have yet to be 
announced. 
 
4.  (U) NGOs have consistently criticized the CC for not 
including a wider array of entities in the decision making 
process.  Over 70 NGOs signed a petition seeking 
participatory representation in the CC to ensure that all 
opinions are considered.  In the aforementioned debate, 
representatives from the NGOs Vlk (wolf) and Ekopolis pleaded 
for more discussions before any actions are taken.  Simon, 
however, was unable to provide any reasonable argument for 
the exclusion of NGOs or other independent experts.  NGOs 
additionally cite the naming of Stefanec as Committee 
Secretary as further evidence of the influence of big 
 
SIPDIS 
business on the CC. 
5.  (U) NGOs, Slovak celebrities and other concerned citizens 
have since formed a new coalition called &Our Tatras8 which 
seeks a larger voice in the forest renewal discussions. 
Econoff spoke with Boris Strecansky, Program Director of 
Ekopolis, and one of the leaders of the new citizens 
association.  Strecansky stated that the clean up process was 
proceeding efficiently with no major problems.  He further 
explained that Our Tatras does not advocate any particular 
approach to renovating the damaged forests, but simply wants 
to ensure that the process is transparent and that all due 
diligence is performed by qualified experts.  The group is 
concerned that the emotional response of the nation to the 
disaster, spurred the GOS to &do something8 without 
allowing time for reasonable actions or plans to be devised. 
Strecansky did admit, however, that Dzurinda has recently 
revealed a greater willingness to permit a wider range of 
participation in the Tatras renewal. 
 
6.  (SBU) In conversations with Econoffs, business leaders 
have questioned the likelihood of Rusko,s vision of 
 
large-scale commercialization in the High Tatras.  Services 
and infrastructure, especially highways, are still limited 
and, therefore, unlikely to pull tourists away from modern 
facilities in the Alps.  In addition, financial institutions 
are aware of these issues and not apt to provide the 
necessary capital for new projects in the region.  Strecansky 
agreed, in general, but warned that some new development was 
still possible and that the most protected and sensitive 
areas in the Tatras, are also the most desirable from the 
market,s perspective.  He further opined that Rusko is well 
aware of the region's limitations and is merely attempting to 
incite financial speculation thereby raising the real estate 
values in the Tatras.  Though choosing not to state it 
directly, Strencansky implied that Rusko would personally 
profit from the rising prices. 
 
7.  (U) In reftel, post requested information for a DVC 
conference between GOS and USG officials to share experiences 
and suggestions.  We now request an update on the status of 
USG speakers for such an event.  Strecansky was very 
optimistic about NGO participation in such an event and 
specifically requested topics that could help the GOS 
establish a framework to deal with environmental disasters in 
a systematic and transparent manner. 
THAYER 
 
 
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