Grendel Wants Ziga to Convene Joint Session of Defence and SIS Committees (2)

Bratislava, September 6 (TASR) - House Vice-chair Peter Ziga (Voice-SD), tasked with heading the House in a temporary capacity, should convene a joint session of the Defence and Security Committee and Committee for the Supervision of the Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS), MP Gabor Grendel (Slovakia-For the Poeple-KU) declared on Friday. Grendel pointed out that Parliament cannot supervise the secret service while the relevant House Committee is in gridlock. Seeing as the coalition ousted its chair Maria Kolikova (opposition SaS) in late June, it is not possible to convene a session. "The dysfunctionality of supervisory bodies is the responsibility of the House Chair," he warned. Grendel also rejects an informal meeting with lawmakers organised by SIS director Pavol Gaspar. Such an informal meeting would be only a pretence of parliamentary supervision and neither the House Rules of Procedure nor the SIS Act recognises such an institute. "The opposition should in no way fall for this trick," he claimed, adding that the opposition should insist on having the committee made functional. Lawmakers of Progressive Slovakia will take part in the informal meeting only on the condition that the first item of the meeting is a potential intervention by the SIS director in political competition. "We will perceive the meeting as sensible only if specific evidence in writing is submitted to dispel the suspicion," stated head of PS caucus Martin Dubeci. He added that if Gaspar doesn't have such evidence, he should resign. mf/mcs