Gaspar Urges Caution on Board of Peace, Groehling Calls it Trump's Business (2)

(STVR, 'O 5 minut 12', 25 January) Parliamentary vice-chair Tibor Gaspar (Smer-SD) calls for caution regarding the Board of Peace, while the leader of the opposition's Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party Branislav Groehling views it as a business venture of US President Donald Trump. Both made the remarks on STVR's discussion programme 'O 5 minut 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday Gaspar also suggested during the televised debate that one of the topics of the upcoming meeting between Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and French President Emmanuel Macron could be the possible involvement of France in the future construction of a new nuclear power plant at Jaslovske Bohunice. At the same time, he underlined that the agreement with the United States does not bind Slovakia to anything. "I am concerned that someone is preparing responsibility laundering, some kind of cover for further decisions, (…) so they can say that everything that will now happen is in the name of some peace and condoned by the countries that will take part on this board. The second important dimension is the constitutional and legal question of whether such an entry is even possible," Gaspar said regarding joining the Board of Peace. According to Groehling, the Board of Peace is an "undemocratic" grouping. "I see it as a kind of business plan by Donald Trump, for which you still have to pay one billion dollars if you want to become part of it," he added. With respect to the nuclear energy agreement, Gaspar rejected interpretations about a "deal" and again stressed that the agreement with the United States does not oblige Slovakia to anything. He also said that talks in Paris could open the question of how France might become involved in the future construction of the nuclear block. Groehling criticised what he sees as the government announcing the construction of the new nuclear block without providing the public with sufficiently clear information. "What kind of foreign policy is it that Robert Fico goes to America and makes a 15-billion-euro deal there (…)? In the Czech Republic, Koreans are building similar technology for eight billion – why should it cost 15 billion euros in Slovakia?" the opposition MP asked. On domestic politics, the debate also addressed trust in the police and the prosecution service. Groehling said it is "debatable" whether the police have free hands, linking the drop in public trust to the actions of Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD). "What I see is how he threatens prosecutors, police officers, but also students, and does his own rackets," he said. Gaspar underlined that individual accusations should be addressed exclusively by law enforcement authorities, not politicians. Regarding Government Proxy for Investigating COVID-19 Pandemic Management Peter Kotlar, Gaspar questioned whether his claims really met the criteria for the crime of fearmongering. "Do you have it proven that his opinion on covid vaccines is false alarm information? This is exactly like when some scholars in the past said the Earth was round and those who were claiming it was flat wanted to burn them at the stake," he added. The debate also touched on planned changes to Parliament's Rules of Procedure. Gaspar announced stricter rules and penalties, rejecting the label of a "muzzle law". Groehling, on the other hand, said the proposal could limit the opposition's ability to speak its mind, especially on bills in fast-track procedure. "We will not be able to comment on it either before the procedure or in committee (...) They are literally going to tape our mouths shut," he said. NOTE: This story has been extended to include the final two paragraphs mf