KY]; Democratic Party or DS [Ludovit KANIK]; Direction
(Smer) [Robert FICO]; Liberal Democratic Union or LDU [Jan BUDAJ];
Movement for a Democratic Slovakia-People's Party or HZDS-LS [Vladimir
MECIAR]; Party of Civic Understanding or SOP [Pavol HAMZIK]; note - SSDS
and SZS joined the SOP parliamentary caucus; Party of the Democratic
Left or SDL [Pvel KONCOS]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK
[Bela BUGAR]; Real Slovak National Party or PSNS [Jan SLOTA]; Slovak
Democratic and Christian Union or SDKU [Mikulas DZURINDA]; note - this
is DZURINDA's new party for the 2002 elections; he remains chairman of
a rump and splintering SDK; Slovak Democratic Coalition or SDK (loose
parliamentary club grouping, representing members of the smaller SSDS,
SZS, and those committed to run under SDKU in 2002) [Mikulas DZURINDA];
Slovak National Party or SNS [Anna MALIKOVA]; Yes (ANO) [Paval RUSKO]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Association of Employers of
Slovakia; Association of Towns and Villages or ZMOS; Confederation of
Trade Unions or KOZ; Metal Workers Unions or KOVO and METALURG

International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS, BSEC
(observer), CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA,
PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNTAET,
UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Martin
BUTORA chancery: 3523 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 FAX:
[1] (202) 237-6438 telephone: [1] (202) 237-1054

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Ronald WEISER embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava
mailing address: P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava telephone: [421] (2)
5443-3338 FAX: [421] (2) 5443-0096

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue,
and red superimposed with the Slovak cross in a shield centered on the
hoist side; the cross is white centered on a background of red and blue

Economy Slovakia

Economy - overview: Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult
transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market
economy. The DZURINDA government made excellent progress in 2001 in
macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform. Major pri