Slovak presidential hopefuls mull Kosovo

Kosovo has become a key internal political subject in Slovakia ahead of presidential elections there.

Izvor: Beta

Thursday, 19.02.2009.

13:31

Default images

Kosovo has become a key internal political subject in Slovakia ahead of presidential elections there. Slovakia is one of five EU countries which have not recognized Kosovo’s independence. The new Slovakian president will be elected on March 21. The question of whether the candidate supports the social consensus that Kosovo’s unilateral independence declaration should not be recognized is likely to play a certain part. Slovak presidential hopefuls mull Kosovo According to Slovakian daily SME, the issue of Kosovo recognition is consequently one of the key topics which Slovakia’s seven presidential candidates must respond to on a daily basis. Today they agreed that Bratislava should not recognize Kosovo, unless Serbia does so first. “Our position is unambiguous and unaltered, as it has been up to now. We will not recognize Kosovo’s independence,” underlined incumbent Ivan Gasparovic. His leading rival in the presidential race, Iveta Radicova, is from former Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda’s Slovak Democratic and Christian Union–Democratic Party. Radicova says that peace in the Balkans requires the Serbs, first and foremost, to recognize Kosovo. “If that agreement happens, nothing will stand in the way of Slovakia recognizing Kosovo,” she said. Frantisek Miklosko and Zuzana Martinakova, candidates for the right-wing minority opposition parties, believe that Kosovo’s independence violates international law and sets a precedent that Slovakia must not recognize. “Kosovo is a Pandora’s box for Europe. Opening it would mean opening very serious problems in all multiethnic EU countries,” said Movement for a Democratic Slovakia candidate Milan Melnjik in a Slovakian newspaper survey. Melnjik said that the fact that Slovakia had recognized Kosovo passports without recognizing the state had become known as a joke of the same proportions to that from “The Good Soldier Schweik”, a satire by Jaroslav Hasek. Milan Sidor, candidate for the unreformed Communist Party of Slovakia, noted that Kosovo and similar new states were, in his opinion, created by outside intervention for protectorates, and questioned who their protector was and to what end they were created. Independent candidate Dagmar Belova declined to answer the question, explaining that such questions had nothing to do with whether or not he was a good candidate for president.

Slovak presidential hopefuls mull Kosovo

According to Slovakian daily SME, the issue of Kosovo recognition is consequently one of the key topics which Slovakia’s seven presidential candidates must respond to on a daily basis. Today they agreed that Bratislava should not recognize Kosovo, unless Serbia does so first.

“Our position is unambiguous and unaltered, as it has been up to now. We will not recognize Kosovo’s independence,” underlined incumbent Ivan Gašparovič.

His leading rival in the presidential race, Iveta Radičova, is from former Prime Minister Mikulaš Džurinda’s Slovak Democratic and Christian Union–Democratic Party. Radičova says that peace in the Balkans requires the Serbs, first and foremost, to recognize Kosovo.

“If that agreement happens, nothing will stand in the way of Slovakia recognizing Kosovo,” she said.

František Mikloško and Zuzana Martinakova, candidates for the right-wing minority opposition parties, believe that Kosovo’s independence violates international law and sets a precedent that Slovakia must not recognize.

“Kosovo is a Pandora’s box for Europe. Opening it would mean opening very serious problems in all multiethnic EU countries,” said Movement for a Democratic Slovakia candidate Milan Melnjik in a Slovakian newspaper survey.

Melnjik said that the fact that Slovakia had recognized Kosovo passports without recognizing the state had become known as a joke of the same proportions to that from “The Good Soldier Schweik”, a satire by Jaroslav Hašek.

Milan Sidor, candidate for the unreformed Communist Party of Slovakia, noted that Kosovo and similar new states were, in his opinion, created by outside intervention for protectorates, and questioned who their protector was and to what end they were created.

Independent candidate Dagmar Belova declined to answer the question, explaining that such questions had nothing to do with whether or not he was a good candidate for president.

Komentari 16

Pogledaj komentare

16 Komentari

Možda vas zanima

Stiže novi "pakao"; Spremite se 1
Društvo

Stiže novi "pakao"; Spremite se

Kao u prvih 15 dana aprila, ovaj mesec će se završiti natprosečnim temperaturama. Prema najavi RHMZ u nedelju i do prve polovine naredne sedmice temperature će dostići letnje vrednosti.

7:21

26.4.2024.

17 h

Podeli: