Opposition Initiates Special Session, Demands SIS Chief's Ouster

Bratislava, 17 October (TASR) - The opposition has filed a motion to convene a special House session to oust Pavol Gaspar from the post of Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS) head, representatives of the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), Progressive Slovakia (PS), Christian Democrats (KDH) and Democrats parties announced at a joint press conference on Friday. "I've been saying for a long time that we should be united by things that are important for this country, while we should put the things that divide us aside. This is the fundamental thing that unites us - the security of our country. One result of this union is signatures calling for a special session to adopt a resolution to dismiss Pavol Gaspar," stated Branislav Groehling, leader of SaS, which initiated the collection [of signatures]. The opposition one again called for the dismissal of the current SIS head, claiming that SIS under his leadership is untrustworthy. "His performance in the SIS top post is a direct threat to the security of all of us and this entire country," stated Zuzana Stevulova (PS). The opposition gave several examples of his misconduct in the post, pointing to his traffic accident and unclear proprietary relations. It also expressed its concerns about whether Gaspar is keeping classified information confidential. MP Peter Stachura (KDH) also criticised the SIS head for his diploma thesis, calling it a case of plagiarism. The opposition has called on the coalition not to block the special session, which should be convened in seven days. ko/df