PS: Coalition Is Hodgepodge, No Agreement within It on Security Issues

Bratislava, March 26 (TASR) - The governing coalition is still a hodgepodge, which is partly proven by the fact that there's no agreement within it on the state's basic security issues, said opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) leader Michal Simecka in reaction to the reluctance of Slovak National Party (SNS) MPs to vote for some legislative proposals submitted by the Defence Ministry. "[SNS leader] Andrej Danko, probably because he's been humiliated, probably because they took his Sport Ministry away from him, has become so stubborn that he's decided not to support the government on a truly important issue of national interest," stated Simecka. Parliament on Wednesday passed a proposal for the deployment of Slovak soldiers to the NATO multinational brigade in Latvia with 137 votes. Dusan Munko was the sole member of the SNS caucus to vote for the proposal. MP Peter Kotlar abstained from voting and the remaining MPs of the SNS caucus voted against. The majority of opposition MPs voted in favour of the proposal. During a roundtable meeting on security organised by President Peter Pellegrini later on Wednesday, Simecka plans to ask coalition representatives how they intend to ensure Slovakia's security. The opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party plans to present the conclusions of an opposition roundtable discussion at the meeting with the president. "The meeting showed unity on a key issue that transcends party differences. This is a signal that opposition representatives view the defence capability of Slovakia and Europe as their priority," said SaS leader Branislav Groehling. The coalition SNS earlier in the day announced that it opposes the deployment of Slovak soldiers to the NATO brigade in Latvia, as it doesn't want Slovakia to have soldiers on Russian borders. It also has a problem with a bill that could establish a Gendarmerie Corps. Both proposals were approved by Parliament after 11 a.m. on Wednesday. ko/df