The former head of the Slovak Syndicate of Journalists, Ján Füle, will start working as President Rudolf Schuster's spokesman in 2002.
Füle said he was offered the position several weeks ago, and accepted the offer December 13. He said the offer was too good to refuse, even though it meant turning over his business operations to others.
Füle will become the president's third spokesman since he took his post in 1999. The president's departing spokesman, Jozef Leikert, will remain in Schuster's advisory team. Füle said he had already agreed with Schuster that "he'll talk to the politicians and I'll talk to the press" after Schuster had encountered problems talking to journalists while not properly prepared.
Last week, Schuster told the public station STV that he had been kidnapped by natives while on holiday in Brazil.
"We don't want any more of that kind of thing," Füle said.