While Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány and his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico were meeting in Brussels, Fico's coalition partner Ján Slota was once again ridiculing Hungarian politics and culture.
According to the online version of Magyar Nemzet, a Hungarian conservative daily, Slota called a Hungarian symbol – the Turul – a “parrot”, though it is actually an eagle. The daily reported that Slota also planted a double-barred cross in Malacky to “awaken the spirit of nationalism among the Slovak nation.”
"On our territory, unfortunately, more often ugly birds - the Hungarian parrots called Turuls, have been planted," Magyar Nemzet quoted Slota as having said.
According to observers, Slota may have scheduled his message to coincide with Gyurcsány’s message to Fico that it was time to dissociate himself from Slota's statements. TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
