Danko Urges Political Parties to Avoid Reopening Issue of Benes Decrees (2)

Bratislava, 25 November (TASR) – Chair of the Slovak National Party (SNS) Andrej Danko called on all political parties on Tuesday, including Progressive Slovakia (PS), not to reopen the issue of the Benes Decrees, and if PS continues to pursue the topic, SNS will prepare a legal analysis. Speaking at a press conference, Danko said: "We call on all political parties to keep their hands off the Benes Decrees." He added that he was appalled by how some parties are raising the issue. "If PS continues with the topic of the Benes Decrees, we will prepare a legal analysis and also turn to the Prosecutor-General," he said. The SNS chair pointed out that in the Czech Republic some associations were dissolved already in the preparatory phase if they attempted to reopen questions related to the Benes Decrees. The SNS appeal also concerns the position of a Hungarian political party in Slovakia. "It even has a programme approved that says Stop Benes," Danko noted. Danko argued that it is not good to reopen the trauma of the post-war settlement and pointed out that the Benes Decrees remain valid legal provisions. He further criticised other statements by PS concerning life in southern Slovakia. "I do not think that southern Slovakia suffers from a lack of infrastructure," he said and concluded that the party merely seeks to provoke tension between Slovakia and Hungary. The head of Voice-SD and Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok also criticised PS's statements. "It proposed halting the application of the Benes Decrees. We have the best relations with Hungary in history today, so why not throw a grenade into them, right? Only the progressives are unfailingly throwing it on the Slovak side of the Danube," he wrote on social media. The Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) also takes a critical view of the PS initiative. The party stressed the importance of the Hungarian community as a natural and loyal part of Slovakia, saying it is right to seek forms of cooperation also within the political framework. "What is dangerous, however, is when this is done by cheaply reopening old historical wounds. PS clearly believes that talking about the Benes Decrees appeals to Hungarian voters. In reality, it does nothing but stir tension in society and awaken old grievances that can harm us all – Slovaks and Hungarians alike," KDH vice-chair Viliam Karas warned. He emphasised that past wrongs must be recognised and condemned, especially those based on the principle of collective guilt. "But questioning the legal foundations of the post-war settlement is a dead end. It will not bring justice, it will not bring reconciliation – it will only bring new division," he warned. NOTE: This story has been extended to include paragraphs 5-7 mf