BRATISLAVA, Slovakia, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic has launched a stinging attack on a senior ethnic Hungarian parliamentarian, the SME newspaper reported Wednesday.
SME quoted Gasparovic as accusing Deputy Prime Minister Pal Csaky, a high ranking member of the ethnic Hungarian SMK party, of betraying proceedings in the Slovak cabinet to the government in neighboring Hungary.
"I don't like the fact that we have government meetings and a deputy prime minister, three hours later, is already reporting back to Budapest," Gasparovic was quoted as saying.
The accusation was dismissed by SMK party leader Bela Bugar.
There are 500,000 ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, representing just under 10 percent of the overall population.
Relations between ethnic Hungarians and the majority community have improved in recent years but tensions occasionally rise to the surface.
Gasparovic took the largely symbolic presidency in April amid concerns about his past association with former authoritarian Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar who was accused during his term of office of discriminating against ethnic Hungarians.
