(Adds more opposition comments, EU treaty plan)
By Peter Laca
BRATISLAVA, April 9 (Reuters) - Slovak government deputies
approved a disputed media law on Wednesday, ignoring protests
from newspapers and human rights watchdogs and setting the stage
for a clash with the opposition over the EU's reform treaty.
The opposition and institutions such as the Organisation for
Security and Cooperation in Europe oppose the legislation,
saying it undermines editorial freedom because it orders
newspapers to print responses from people mentioned in news
stories even if the published information were true.
The opposition demanded the government change the media bill
and threatened not to support the European Union's Lisbon
treaty, designed to revamp EU institutions and decision-making,
unless the government complies.
"This law clearly limits the freedom of speech and limits
democracy in Slovakia," said Mikulas Dzurinda, a former prime
minister and leader of the largest opposition party, the
centre-right Slovak Democratic and Christian Union.
He said by leaving the right of reply clause in the law, the
ruling coalition ignored the key condition set by the
opposition.
"Under these circumstances, our deputies will not take part
in the vote on the Lisbon treaty."
The government controls 85 deputies in the 150-seat
parliament, which is a comfortable majority to approve laws.
However, a three-fifth majority is needed to ratify the EU
treaty, which makes it a rare occasion when leftist Prime
Minister Robert Fico needs opposition votes to see a motion in
parliament approved.
Fico has said parliament should proceed with the EU treaty
vote soon after approval of the media law even without a
cross-party agreement, challenging the mostly pro-European
opposition parties to back down.
Parliament speaker Pavol Paska called a meeting of
parliamentary factions for 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) on Thursday to
debate procedure for the Lisbon treaty ratification, but added
that a vote on the document would take place at the current
parliamentary session regardless if there is a consensus.
OPPOSITION SPLIT?
Some Slovak media reported Fico's brinkmanship may pay off
because some deputies for the ethnic Hungarian SMK party could
vote on the treaty with the government.
SMK leader Pal Csaky denied the party would split on the
vote, but added the faction needed to agree a stance on the
treaty, suggesting for the first time it may possibly break
ranks with the other opposition parties.
Fico, who has clashed with media since taking power in 2006,
has repeatedly said the right of reply is aimed at giving even
chances to ordinary people whose reputation may suffer as the
result of a published story.
Slovakia's leading newspapers ran identical protests on
otherwise blank front pages on March 27 to condemn the right of
reply clause.
Milos Nemecek, the head of the Association of Publishers of
Printed Press, criticised the bill on Wednesday, saying it
"opened a broad access for anybody to media, which is an
interference with editorial freedom."
(Additional reporting by Martin Santa)
(Writing by Peter Laca, editing by Ibon Villelabeitia)
