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Fico: SDKU Wants to Lie to Its Voters About EFSF and Put Blame on Us

Bratislava, July 1 (TASR) - A public statement from the Premier-designate Iveta Radicova (SDKU-DS) whether her finance minister will be prepared to sign the framework agreement is enough for unblocking the European safety net framework (European Financial Stability Facility/EFSF), said departing Prime Minister Robert Fico on Thursday. Fico said this in reaction to Radicova's… read more

SDKU: Fico Blocked EU Safety Net, He\'s Responsible for Consequences

Bratislava, July 1 (TASR) - Outgoing Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) has definitely blocked the signing of the financial safety-net framework (European Financial Stability Facility/EFSF) even though he had the power to unblock it, according to the strongest party in the emerging centre-right coalition SDKU-DS. Slovakia was supposed to sign the EFSF, designed to aid… read more

Poll: Seven out of Ten Slovaks Against Loan for Greece

Bratislava, June 30 (TASR) - Seven out of ten Slovaks don't agree with Slovakia providing Greece with financial assistance, while less than a quarter thinks that Slovakia should help the indebted EU member, according to a poll carried out by TNS SK in May and published on Wednesday. The survey was carried out on a representative sample of 988 respondents over 18. About… read more

Defence Minister-designate Plans Changes in Tendering Procedures

Bratislava, June 30 (TASR) - Defence minister-in-waiting Lubomir Galko (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS), unveiling his priorities if he is appointed to the post, said on Wednesday that he would increase efficiency in public procurement procedures relating to military purchases by making them more transparent. "I will not buy dud and unusable goods at prohibitive prices,"… read more

Slovakia Taking up Visegrad Four Presidency on Thursday

Bratislava, June 30 (TASR) - Slovakia is due to preside over the Visegrad Four (V4/the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) for one year as of Thursday. Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Peter Stano informed that Slovakia will take up the presidency from Hungary at the upcoming V4 summit, which should most probably take place in mid-July. Its main slogan will… read more

Radicova: Decision on EU Guarantee Mechanism Irreversible

Bratislava, June 30 (TASR) - The new government has inherited a political decision concerning the creation of a new EU guarantee mechanism that is designed to give a helping hand to countries that find themselves in financial trouble. It's irreversible, said Premier-designate Iveta Radicova (SDKU-DS) at a meeting with Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic in Wednesday.… read more

English Hiker Dies in Slovak Mountains

Slovensky raj, June 30 (TASR) – Mountain rescuers in Slovensky Raj assisted in the attempted resuscitation of a 69-year-old hiker from England. The hiker was then treated by a doctor who came via helicopter, but resuscitation attempts failed to work. According to one of Slovensky Raj mountain rescuers Dusan Leskovjansky, the Englishman may have experienced sudden… read more

SaS: Coalition Agreement to Be Sealed on Tuesday, July 6

Bratislava, June 30 (TASR) - The Coalition Agreement between the centre-right parties will be signed on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 6, Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party spokesperson Tatiana Tothova told TASR on Wednesday. "It'll be signed on Tuesday, that's final. Some time around 5 p.m.," said Tothova, adding that the exact time will be announced by the end of this… read more

Three Guantanamo Detainees in Slovakia Continue Hunger-strike

Bratislava, June 30 (TASR) - Three former detainees from Guantanamo Bay who were transferred to Slovakia in January are prepared to continue their hunger-strike to protest against the allegedly bad conditions that they are enduring in Slovakia and the treatment they are receiving from Slovak authorities at a detention facility in Medvedov (Trnava region), one of the detainees… read more

Horvath: Top KDH Reps Turned Out to Be Not Tough Enough

Bratislava, June 29 (TASR) - Representatives of the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) failed in the post-election coalition negotiations held between KDH, SDKU-DS, Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) and Most-Hid, political analyst Peter Horvath told TASR on Tuesday. "The political amateurism of top KDH representatives is plain to see. Smer-SD was interested in co-operation… read more

OKS Wants to Avert \"Post-election Thievery\"

Bratislava, June 29 (TASR) - Civic Conservative Party (OKS) wants the government manifesto to include a plan to introduce a legal amendment disallowing the outgoing government from closing disadvantageous contracts, OKS' Ondrej Dostal said on Tuesday, describing the proposal as designed to stave off post-election thievery. "The government, the ministries as well as other… read more

Minorities Discuss Proposals to Tackle Their Status in Slovakia

Kosice, June 29 (TASR) - Several non-political organisations purporting to represent Czechs, Hungarians, the Roma, Ruthenians and Ukrainians living in Slovakia on Tuesday resumed their talks on draft laws governing the status and rights of national minorities. Following up on talks held March 22-23 in the village of Vinica (Banska Bystrica region), Czech Society chairman… read more

Coalition to Appoint Ministers 3 at a Time, If Smer Does Blocking Gambit

Bratislava, June 29 (TASR) - If the Opposition MPs intend to block the Parliament as the Coalition temporarily loses its majority due to appointing MPs into executive posts, the Coalition will appoint its ministers three at a time, Most-Hid chairman Bela Bugar said after his Tuesday's meeting with outgoing Parliamentary Chairman Pavol Paska (Smer-SD). "It's an easy thing… read more

Gasparovic Appoints 27 Judges

Bratislava, June 29 (TASR) - President Ivan Gasparovic on Tuesday appointed 27 judges with life tenure, with Justice Minister Viera Petrikova, Supreme Court Chairman Stefan Harabin and Prosecutor-General Dobroslav Trnka in attendance. In an address at the presidential palace, the president urged the judges to act in compliance with international treaties, laws, and the… read more

Sulik: Bugar and Hrusovsky Will Train Me as Parliamentary Chairman

Bratislava, June 29 (TASR) - Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) chairman Richard Sulik on Tuesday confirmed his candidacy for the post of Parliamentary Chairman, adding he will be given advice by predecessors Most-Hid chairman Bela Bugar and former chairman of the Christian Democrats (KDH) Pavol Hrusovsky. "They offered me assistance and training. I view them as real sages… read more