Monitor: Sutaj Estok Wants to Work on Coalition Stability

(STVR, 'Five Minutes to Twelve', January 26) I'm prepared to work on the stability of the coalition and hold talks with independent MP Rudolf Huliak with an eye towards making him and his colleagues return to the coalition, Voice-SD chair and Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok stated on STVR's discussion programme 'Five Minutes to Twelve' on Sunday. Sutaj Estok also believes that a well-organized group financed from abroad is behind the cyber attacks on Slovak institutions. Head of opposition's Progressive Slovakia (PS) caucus Martin Dubeci, also on the show, claimed that the coalition engages in conspiracy theories about the mass protests as a red herring to divert attention away from the fact the Government is crumbling. The Voice-SD chair declared that the coalition parties are in agreement and prepared to elect Voice-SD vice-chair Richard Rasi to the post of House Chair, but he doesn't know whether this nomination will garner support from MPs Samuel Migal and Radomir Salitros, who have been expelled from the Voice-SD. According to Dubeci, Slovakia has a minority Government and he's convinced that Parliament won't be quorate in February. If Parliament convenes for its scheduled February session, Dubeci wants it to discuss early election. The PS caucus chair claimed that the Government is gambling with Slovakia's foreign affairs orientation, which prompted even the Voice-SD party and President Peter Pellegrini to issue corrective statements. Sutaj Estok reiterated that Slovakia's EU and NATO memberships are anchored in several documents and not subject to any change. The Interior Minister thinks that bomb threats in schools and recent cyber attacks are all the work of a single group. "An organized group is behind this, financed by foreign actors and maybe even directly linked to 'useful idiots' in the political opposition and NGOs," he declared, adding that there is an "absolutely clear evidence" for the existence of such a network of individuals. In response, Dubeci stated that a desperate government resorts to desperate tactics. "They need a red herring because their Government is falling apart," he said, adding that even coalition lawmakers had been laughing at the confidential report of the Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS). Dubeci underlined he doesn't trust SIS. mf