Monitor: Kalinak: Slovak Oil Market Not at Risk, Supplies to Resume Soon

(STVR, 'O 5 minut 12', 22 February) The market with oil products in Slovakia is not at risk and crude oil will start flowing into the country in the coming days, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) declared on STVR's discussion programme 'O 5 minut 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday. Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) vice-chair Viliam Karas, Kalinak's opposite number on the show, said the government is pursuing Hungarian rather than Slovak interests. The defence minister did not clearly explain how oil would reach Slovakia. Kalinak warned that transit fees for transporting oil via Croatia are roughly five times higher than what Slovakia is used to. "For us, it is essentially worthwhile to take a longer route via Italy and the Czech Republic back to Slovakia," he said. Kalinak also stated that Russian attacks at the end of January were not aimed at the Druzhba oil pipeline but at storage facilities located near it. He referred to photographs he claims to have at his disposal and added that the attack caused only minor damage. Karas called on the Slovak government not to get involved in disputes between Hungary and Ukraine. He said he fails to understand why oil products in Slovakia are more expensive than in other countries when Russian oil is supposed to be 30 percent cheaper. "If we had commodities from the East that were 30 percent cheaper, we should have had at least 30 percent lower minimum prices at petrol stations. If we did not, it means that the profits were not accumulated in Slovnaft but in MOL. If they are in MOL, they are in Hungary, not in Slovakia. Therefore, it is in the interest of every proper manager to secure alternative supplies," Karas reproached the government. Kalinak also defended businessman Jozef B. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons] on the show, who was convicted by the Specialised Criminal Court in the Toll Collector criminal case. Karas again criticised changes to the Criminal Codes and emphasised that it should be courts that decide on cases, not politicians. mf