VZCZCXRO0687
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSL #0127 0801656
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201656Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1606
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0434
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000127 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/NCE, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS:      
SUBJECT: COALITION ALTERS PRESS LAW DRAFT, BUT NOT ENOUGH 
 
REF: A. BRATISLAVA 40 
 
      B. BRATISLAVA 61 
 
 1. (SBU) In advance of next week's parliamentary session, the 
governing coalition quietly introduced in the Culture and 
Media Committee on March 18 an amended version of its draft 
press law. The new version, introduced by Smer MP Jan 
Podmanicky, addresses one of the two major deficiencies 
identified by OSCE Media Representative Miklos Haraszti and 
other critics, including Embassy Bratislava: it eliminates a 
provision which would have empowered the Ministry of Culture 
to impose fines on publishers for various ill-defined forms 
of hate speech (ref a).  The Podmanicky proposal does not, 
however, offer substantive changes to the controversial 
"Right to Respond" provision.  While the draft clarifies that 
publishers would only need to print responses based on 
"factual claims" rather than opinions, publishers would still 
have to print full responses (on the same page and in the 
same space) by anyone who feels that his/her "honor, dignity, 
name, or reputation" was impugned by a given factual claim. 
Analysts consider the Slovak bill significantly more 
restrictive than European laws that contain a right of reply. 
 
 2. (SBU) Opposition politicians and NGO advocates have not 
been won over by the changes.  SDKU, SMK, and KDH held a 
joint press conference on March 19 in which they acknowledged 
that the troublesome language regarding the Ministry of 
Culture had been largely resolved, but stressed their 
continued unease with the "Right to Respond" provision and 
other elements, including language that would require (as 
opposed to permit) journalists to protect sources. 
Opposition MP (and KDH defector) Pavol Minarik, Chairman of 
the Culture and Media Committee, told Poloff that Smer had 
traded its "lesser abomination" for its greater one.  He 
further argued that the new draft "won't change the position 
of SDKU or SMK on the Lisbon Treaty," adding that he 
personally would not vote to approve the Lisbon Treaty in any 
case.  An advisor to former PM Dzurinda told us that Dzurinda 
would continue to oppose the press bill and the Lisbon Treaty 
withou changes to the former.  Rasto Kuzel from the local NGO 
Memo 98, which had provided significant input to the OSCE 
analysis, told us that he had spoken with Haraszti on March 
19 and that Haraszti would continue to fight for more 
meaningful changes. 
 
Outlook 
------- 
 
 3. (SBU) Parliament will take up the second reading of the 
Press Law shortly after reconvening on March 26.  If the bill 
passes committee cleanly, as expected, the final vote would 
likely take place during the following week.  Most 
politicians and NGOs assess that the Prime Minister, who 
stated recently that he would insist on a "strict press law" 
to counter the media's "absolutely unacceptable behavior 
toward the government," will resist calls for change in the 
"Right to Respond" provision.  Opposition politician and NGO 
sources believe that pressure from the EU and international 
organizations offers the best chance of influencing the 
outcome, but they are not sanguine about the prospects for 
success. 
 
 4. (SBU) Meanwhile, Slovak publishers indicate that they plan 
to print a March 26 edition showing what their newspapers 
could look like under the new law.  According to Kuzel, if 
the law is passed, several of these newspapers will refuse to 
print responses, accept the fines, and file lawsuits -- which 
they believe that they will lose within the Slovak courts, 
but eventually win at the European Court of Justice. GOS 
officials have been on the record stating that they would 
take into consideration OSCE concerns in order to ensure that 
the media law meets European standards;   the latest draft, 
however, falls short. Ambassador will raise our concerns 
about the bill with FM Kubis and in his one-on-one meeting 
with Prime Minister Fico on March 27.  Post also is reaching 
out to our EU counterparts in an effort to marshal a broader 
response. 
OBSITNIK