Czech Officials Call Union Fragile : Nationalism: Slovaks seem determined to lead their republic to independence, opposing negotiators say.

Officials in the Czech republic expressed increasing pessimism Tuesday over the chances of holding together their troubled federation with Slovakia.

Prime Minister-designate Vaclav Klaus met with Slovak leaders in a 6 1/2-hour session in Brno that lasted into the small hours Tuesday. Afterward, Klaus and his aides said the Slovak leadership seemed determined to lead their republic to independence.

“It is necessary to call things what they are, not to use camouflage that could mislead the public, politicians, all of us,” Klaus told reporters.

He said it was his impression that the Slovak side, led by Vladimir Meciar, whose Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) was the leading vote-getter in elections last weekend, was not posturing nor advancing mere bargaining positions in the talks.

“Their presentation was consistent and coherent,” he said, and would lead to the dissolution of the federation.

“Negotiation about any union or commonwealth of two sovereign states is negotiation about the breakup or dissolution of the common state,” Klaus said.

Still, Klaus said he has not given up hope of holding the federation together, referring to further talks set for today and Sunday. He also denied saying that the “federation is lost,” a comment attributed to him by the official Czechoslovak news agency after the meeting with Meciar.

Meciar declined to comment Tuesday. His spokesman, Bohuslav Geci, said both sides have at least agreed that the future relationship between Czechs and Slovaks should be decided by separate referendums in the two republics.

“One of the important things is that the ODS (Klaus’ Civic Democratic Party) recognized the legitimacy of the HZDS move toward sovereignty and a Slovak constitution,” Geci said.

Aides to Klaus said that most of the talks were about the makeup of a slimmed-down federal government, including the assignment of various offices in the federal Parliament to different parties from each side.

“Basically,” said one Klaus aide, “what the Slovaks are proposing is a government that would simply preside over the dissolving of the federal state.”

Klaus told reporters he does not want to serve as prime minister in a government whose central task would be to terminate itself. The Czech side has taken the position that a full, functioning federal government should be set up as quickly as possible. The Slovak side, the aides said, appeared to be in no hurry, and has spoken of a possible “interim” government.

In the generally darkening atmosphere, political operatives were spreading reports that President Vaclav Havel may be on the verge of resigning. Reports from well-placed and usually knowledgeable sources varied as to whether he would simply decline to run again when his current term expires July 5, or would resign immediately as soon as it becomes clear that there is no hope of continuing the federation.

Publicly, Havel had not given up hope. When asked if he believes the federation is about to split, he said: “I think it would be premature to evaluate the situation like this. It depends on other negotiations; it depends on the course of events during the month of June.

“However, it is true that the situation at this moment is very serious and at this moment, in these days and weeks, our future is being decided.”

Aides to Klaus said it was clear at the meeting with Meciar and other Slovak leaders that the Slovaks now intend to block Havel’s reelection. The Czech side had hoped to have a government in place by July 5 and to throw its support behind Havel. But the president must be elected by a three-fifths majority of the Federal Assembly, and the Slovak bloc has enough votes to defeat him.

“Meciar made it clear in the meeting that the HZDS, the Democratic Left (the Party of the Democratic left of Slovakia) and the Slovak Nationalist Party would all vote against Havel,” said Miroslav Macek, a member of the Federal Assembly and an aide to Klaus.

Macek said Meciar’s counter-proposal is for the installation of a rotating presidency to preside officially over the federation until it is dissolved.

Asked if he is “pessimistic” over the federation’s chances of survival, Macek said: “No, I am realistic, but my realism forces me to accept what seems to be coming. We are trying hard to save it, but it does not look good. I am skeptical.”

Another Klaus aide who attended the Brno meeting with the Slovaks said that he now believes the Slovaks are determined to leave the federation.

“I don’t think it’s a question of money, or of positions,” the aide said. “It’s that they now have the idea of independence fixed and they are not going to be dissuaded. They want to go.”

BACKGROUND

Born at the end of World War I with the breakup of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, Czechoslovakia combines areas with different histories and traditions. The regions of Bohemia and Moravia had long been heavily influenced by Austria, while Slovakia in the east had been under strong Hungarian influence. The accession of a Communist government in 1948 revived the old antagonism between Czechs and Slovaks, and in 1969 Czech and Slovak regions were given control over local affairs.