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Date:         Sat, 19 Dec 1992 22:02:49 MET
From:         Jan Szelepcsenyi <janszel@POSEN.MFF.UNIBA.CS>
Subject:      Re: Szelepczenyi - ambassador

On Sat, 19 Dec 1992 00:13:00 EST, NABELEK@UTKVX.BITNET wrote:

> My congratulations, Jan, to your nomination as ambassador to Turkey. I cannot
> deny that I am in disagreement with various of your opinions, but still
 believe
> that from your representation there the Slovak nation will have real and
> longlasting benefits.

Igor:

thank you very much for your kind congratulation. I hope I'd be
able to contribute to the Slovak and Czech cooperation, too.
There is a huge area of policy and business where we can and
must colaborate together. I have a lot of ideas, which might
proove our new partnership.

>
> You should like your stay in Turkey.  I was there for several weeks this
 summer
> and was very impressed with it.  It is a beautiful country, very friendly
> people, great antique ruins, etc.

I quite agree with you. I was in Turkey for 4 years on business
at the end of the 80th. I suppose it's a country of a big
future.  They last political iniciatives are really very
impressive. Unfortunately, their economic growth was slowed
down by the Gulf War.

> Excuse me but I feel I should ask you the following.
> It might be assumed that you have been nominated to your
> position by Minister Knazko.  But I read somewhere that
> Knazko's recent stand re various affairs is at odds
> with premier Meciar's positions.  If that is the case, one
> could expect that Knazko will not be able to stay as
> minister for too long.  What consequencies could such
> a course of events have on your position?

Mr Knazko elaborated the proposal, but the appointment was done
by the national as well as federal government (BTW, for the rest
of the year I have been appointed as the ambassador of the CSFR.
I'll be "transformed" (a newly used word for the change of
positions, caused by the divorce of both nations) to the
ambassador of Slovak Republic after all the formalities
connected with the establishment of diplomatic ties between two
souvereign states will be done.

In the federal government as well as the parliament there were a
lot of high educated and well experienced politicians. It is
normal, that at this time both national premiers are checking
for weak points in their staff. And it is the best background of
a lot of speculation both in Prag and in Bratislava. Mr Knazko
was a strong supporter of Mr Meciar (don't forget, that he is
the vicepresident of Meciar's political movement, too). There is
a lot of people who dream about the split of HZDS, which could
be caused by misunderstandings in the leadership. A lot of
analysts are studying every formulation in the speaches of both
politicians, which could give any hint about the ongoing
crisis...

It wouldn't well for a political system, if the political
destiny of 53 new Slovak ambassadors would depend on the destiny
of their chief. On the other side, the position of an ambassador
is a political one, i.e. any little professional mistake, or any
change in the course of the foreign policy towards a state or a
region may be connected with the remove of any diplomatic
representant in the respective country. That means, that my
political being is not more uncertain as usual.


> I do not
> wish it to you, but it might happen that your situation
> will be in a sense analogous to the present situation
> of Rector Hajduk, will it not?

It might not, because being in a similar situation as the
present situation of Rector Hajduk is, I would immediately
resign on my position. However, this is not a rule which has to
be followed, it's just a question of the personal style, or the
political taste.

Said in brief, I never sticked on any of the chairs I was
sitting on...  If I would, every average official would be
in position to blackmail me...


> Sincerely, Igor Nabelek

Thanks for your interest in my business, Igor. I appologize if
my reply is in form and content formulated as a private one. But
the question was expressed in public and so had to be my answer,
too.


With best regards,


Jan Szelepcsenyi

--
Jan Szelepcsenyi                                Telephone: + 42 7 220863
janszel@posen.mff.uniba.cs                      Address  : ul. A. Mraza 4
                                                           821 03 Bratislava
                                                           Czechoslovakia
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