Foreign Minister Lajcak to be Summoned to House Over UN Migration Pact

Bratislava, November 8 (TASR) - Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak (a Smer-SD nominee) will address Parliament and discuss objections raised by some lawmakers to the UN migration pact, Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini (Smer-SD) confirmed on Thursday. Pellegrini declared this also in response to the call by opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party, which urged him to forbid Lajcak from signing the document. The Prime Minister once again reassured Slovaks that Slovakia is not revisiting its position on migration and the Cabinet headed by Peter Pellegrini won't give consent to anything that could put in jeopardy the security and sovereignty of the Slovak Republic. The Government continues to reject both the quotas and mandatory migrant resettlement. The document also doesn't sit well with junior coalition Slovak National Party (SNS). Both SaS and SNS maintain that Parliament must approve a resolution to repudiate the pact. The other coalition Most-Hid party doesn't find this necessary. SaS leader Richard Sulik called the pact a dangerous document. Although it purports to be allegedly non-binding, its wording contains the liberal use of the word 'commitment'. "Although not legally enforceable, it establishes common law, which can then serve as a basis for legally enforceable documents. That's the slippery slope method right there," warned Sulik. According to Article 7 of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, the compact presents a "non-legally binding, co-operative framework". "But Article 8 opens with a sentence that this Global Compact expresses our collective commitment to improving co-operation on international migration. It's all based on the premise that migration will increase and we're supposed to manage it better. There's not a single word anywhere about states having the right to defend themselves against migration. Article 16 contains 23 targets and it says that each contains a commitment, to be followed by a plethora of measures and activities. If we accept this agreement, we will create leeway for strong political pressure and we will be required to comply with this commitment in the political context," thinks Sulik, adding that the deal is the proverbial foot in the door. SNS proposes that following the discussion between the coalition partners, the Parliament should approve a resolution to repudiate the Global Compact. SNS feels that the risks stemming from the Global Compact should be addressed not only by the Foreign Affairs Ministry but also by the coalition and opposition political parties. "The document imposes more than 100 commitments on members states joining it. If a country commits to this, it needs to comply," said SNS vice-chair Jaroslav Paška, adding that SNS finds the document controversial. mf/mcs