Matovic: Smer, SaS and SNS to Blame for Failure to Launch Special Session

Bratislava, September 11 (TASR) - OLaNO party leader Igor Matovic has blamed Parliament's failure to launch an extraordinary session on Friday and Monday to address the issuing of certificates for migrants in Slovakia on what he described as a "special coalition" of Smer-SD, Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) and the Slovak National Party (SNS). "If these three parties, or a few of their MPs, [presented themselves during the quorum check] today, no illegal migrants would be entering Slovakia unnecessarily within two days. They would know that they wouldn't get any legal residence papers," said Matovic. In his opinion, representatives of Smer, SaS and SNS didn't want the session to be launched because illegal migration is the only topic their parties can draw attention to in the run-up to the upcoming election. "It is hypocrisy, cynicism and audacity from these parties," remarked Matovic. Earlier on Monday Parliament lacked a quorum and thus failed the second attempt to convene an extraordinary session on illegal migrants. At the session, legislation was supposed to be passed to make the current police obligation to grant a certificate of short-term residence to every foreigner found in Slovakia only optional. zel/df