Monitor: Sutaj Estok: Benes Decrees Untouchable for Me

(TA3,'V politike', 19 April) Speaking on TA3's discussion programme 'V politike' (In Politics) on Sunday, Interior Minister and Voice-SD party chairman Matus Sutaj Estok said that the Benes Decrees are untouchable for him. According to member of opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) Ivan Korcok, the party has never questioned the validity of these decrees or sought to open them. "The Benes Decrees are part of our legal system. Lawyers say they have lapsed. No new actions can be taken based on them," said Korcok, adding that the Land Fund uses the decrees to challenge people's ownership and seize their property. PS wants to stop the practice whereby legally purchased property could be confiscated by the Land Fund. Sutaj Estok believes that PS wanted to gain 1-2 percent in the election with this issue. "For me, the situation is absolutely clear: the Benes Decrees are untouchable, period. It's a historical matter. Slovakia shouldn't even be discussing this topic," he noted. The politicians also touched on the issue of illegal migration. Sutaj Estok considers the statements made by the winner of the Hungarian election, Peter Magyar, to be "utter nonsense". Korcok would ask about these statements the Hungarian side and would contact Magyar. am