Gaspar: Only Ones Attempting to Misuse SIS for Political Purposes Are Opposition

Bratislava, January 27 (TASR) - The only ones attempting to misuse the Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS) for political purposes are the opposition, stated SIS director Pavol Gaspar after Monday’s special session of the parliamentary committee overseeing SIS, which was initiated by the opposition due to the security situation in the country related to the SIS report containing information about efforts to destabilise Slovakia. "I provided committee members with information to the extent that it wouldn't hinder the purpose of the criminal proceedings," stated Gaspar. "I must also state that members of the opposition in particular put considerable pressure on me during this committee session," added he. The SIS director also commented on the SIS report. "This isn't a report about some coup, as it was oversimplified, especially by opposition politicians. We aren't just talking about protests. It was a report that was meant to clearly describe the influence activities and operations of foreign intelligence services in Slovakia. It was important to familiarise the members of the House with it precisely to prevent them from contributing with their comments to the escalation of tension and the division of society," he said. Gaspar stated that work on the report began when he was not yet in charge of the SIS. "Now, the risk has reached such a level that it was necessary to inform the plenary of the House about it," he said. According to him, SIS is also cooperating with military intelligence as part of the investigation. Gaspar also declared that people have the right to protest and that the goal of intelligence activities isn't to thwart the participation of individual demonstrators. "The goal is to prevent security risks that we have assessed," he stated. The head of SIS also rejected the existence of alleged lists of politicians who are supposed to be persecuted for their opinions. Last week, the Slovak Security Council discussed the SIS report, which is said to contain information about attempts to destabilise Slovakia, and recommended that the government take the necessary preventive measures. President Peter Pellegrini, the House leadership, and Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) all described the situation as serious. The premier expressed concern about a possible attempt to organise a coup in Slovakia. lin