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http://www.time.com Time March 15, 2002 Another NATO Warning NATO's George Robertson issues another thinly veiled warning to Slovaks that they had better not vote for Meciar if they want to join the alliance � BY BARBORA TANCEROVA/Bratislava NATO PHOTO Vladimir Meciar � then Prime Minister of Slovakia � arrives at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, in February 1993 Friday, Mar. 15, 2002 NATO Secretary-General Lord George Robertson once again suggested to Slovak voters last week that if they want their country to join the alliance, they should avoid voting for certain politicians in the September general elections. It was far from the first time a NATO official has issued such a warning in recent months, and each time, the Slovak media have understood the warning as a clear sign that NATO will not accept the country into its ranks if former Slovak Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar returns to power in this Central European country. The possibility of such a return to power seems very real, with Meciar's Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) well ahead of other parties in the opinion polls. The prospect is not appealing to U.S. and other Western officials, who often criticized Meciar's government in the mid-1990s on the grounds that he was showing a heavy-handed disregard for the rule of law and democratic norms. Meeting with Slovak President Rudolf Schuster on 7 March in Brussels, Robertson said the September elections could be the "most important elections in Slovakia's history," the Slovak daily SME reported on 8 March. He added that if Slovaks want to be part of NATO, they should vote for NATO. While Meciar recently launched a pro-NATO public campaign, his government in the mid-1990s was often criticized by NATO member states. In addition, Slovakia was bypassed in the first wave of NATO enlargement in 1999 on the grounds that the country did not meet all of the criteria for membership, a situation that was widely blamed on Meciar's government. One week before Robertson's comments, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Nicholas Burns was less equivocal in saying Meciar and the HZDS are unacceptable to the alliance. Noting that no "undemocratic movement, party, or government" has a place in NATO, Burns said on 28 February that the previous Slovak government under Meciar did not respect "democratic values" and the "rule of law." Following the comments from Burns, Meciar was quoted by the Czech news agency CTK as saying the country has other alternatives than NATO entry. The comments were viewed as a major shift in his rhetoric as well as that of HZDS, which in recent months has emphasized the importance of NATO membership for Slovakia's future. "If, up until now, we have not allowed for any other possibility [than that Slovakia will gain NATO membership], then today it is necessary that even this is possible. These 5.3 million people have nowhere else to move and will continue to live here," Meciar was quoted as saying by CTK. After that, however, HZDS parliamentarian Olga Keltosova was quick to say that the party stands by its earlier statements that NATO membership is a key goal for the country. But the party might have trouble taking part in the formation of the next Slovak government in any case. After his meeting with Robertson, Schuster suggested that he might not ask the party that actually wins the elections to try to form the next government. "Usually, according to the constitution, the president appoints the winner of the elections to form a government. Usually. This means that it need not be the winner of the elections," he told journalists on 7 March. HZDS officials also rejected Schuster's suggestion that he might bypass the party even if it wins the largest proportion of the vote in the September elections. "The HZDS will be in the future government. I am optimistic about it. The president will have to think seriously about what he will do. The numbers will be strict," HZDS deputy leader Jan Gabriel was quoted as saying in SME on 7 March. This article was edited and adapted from Transitions Online. A longer version is available at: http://www.tol.cz www.tol.cz __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Sports - live college hoops coverage http://sports.yahoo.com/ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
