[The mail will also be sent on behalf of Proact, and with the names of all current members of the Proact Team. Should members of the team wish to send their own letter, as copy or with personal amendments, please feel free to do so. The more - the merrier!]

Addresses for parliamentary groups:

klubhzds@nrsr.sk; cabatibo@nrsr.sk; klubkdh@nrsr.sk; miklfran@nrsr.sk; klubsdk@nrsr.sk; rusnajan@nrsr.sk; jrusnak@mail.pvt.sk; klubsdl@nrsr.sk;
hoffanto@nrsr.sk; klubsmk@nrsr.sk; bardgyul@nrsr.sk;
klubsoplduszs@nrsr.sk; petrferd@nrsr.sk

cc. project-slovakia@proactnow.org; project-slovakia01@proactnow.org

Addresses for independent MPs:

andemari@nrsr.sk; ficorobe@nrsr.sk; kollmela@nrsr.sk; kotimiro@nrsr.sk; langojan@nrsr.sk; malianna@nrsr.sk; morivita@nrsr.sk; obervili@nrsr.sk; osuspete@nrsr.sk; paskjaro@nrsr.sk; prokjoze@nrsr.sk; sitekjan@nrsr.sk;
sladimri@nrsr.sk; slavkeva@nrsr.sk; slotajan@nrsr.sk; sebefran@nrsr.sk; septrast@nrsr.sk; svandusa@nrsr.sk; tatapete@nrsr.sk; tuchjoze@nrsr.sk; zelnstef@nrsr.sk

cc. project-slovakia@proactnow.org; project-slovakia01@proactnow.org

mark and copy from here
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THE NEW MINING LAW AND THE SLOVAK KARST

Dear Chairperson and Members of Parliamentary Groupings,
Dear Member of Parliament,

As you will know the Economic Committee, which is responsible for drafting the new Mining Law, met on 6. November 2001

The Committee accepted for inclusion in the draft law important improvements submitted by MPs and prepared by the SOSNA (Kosice) and SZOPK (Brectan) NGOs. The vote on adoption of the new law, originally scheduled for 9. November, has been postponed to 27. November 2001. Your support is also for the amendment tabled by Mr. Juris to prevent exploitation of already identified ore and other resources in the Slovak Karst. This will put a stop to further planned expansion by opreating companies.

As nature-lovers, conservationists, birdwatchers or simply concerned individuals worldwide, we urge you to adopt the new law - including these important new amendments. This law is vital for nature protection as mining activities cause grave and irreversible changes to the natural beauty of your country and its flora and fauna.

In particular we draw you attention to the Slovak Karst. This World Heritage Site, unique to Central Europe and still home to a large and varied number of plant and animal species, is gravely threatened by mining and quarrying activities of which ever more are planned. Such activities, if permitted to continue and expand, will destroy the habitats of many species of flora and fauna and will spell the end of plans for an important and magnificent National Park for Slovakia and the rest of Europe. Valuable bird habitats would be irretrievably lost and the future of the unique cave region of the Karst, and of the Aggtelek National Park in Hungary would be severely affected.

All of us know of the wanton as also unplanned destruction of nature and of valuable human achievements in the past 2 centuries. The 21st Century is sadly, if we continue as we have begun, no exception. Let's not add the Slovak Karst to the list of desolated environmental battlefields!

Take an example from your neighbour Hungary. The Aggtelek National Park is visited annually by 200,000 tourists from all over Europe; and elsewhere. This large economic potential, with attendant conservation measures is surely a better alternative for your natural treasures than a raped and devastated landscape. There is a future in Eco- and Agro-Tourism; mining and quarrying take everything and leave nothing in the mid to long-term even the investment and employment prospects will dissipate.

Many of you will have received mails from us earlier this year. This is a sign that the future of Slovakia, and her landscape and natural treasures, are of interest well outside your national or regional boundaries. We hope that you will use your influence or your vote on 27 November to stabilize and further the state of your country's environment and of its place in the worldwide natural balance. Your approval of the amendments to the Mining Law are a small - but vital - acceptance of this responsibility.

I remain, in the hope of your support for a successful outcome,

Yours sincerely,


(Name and Address)

Translation:

Slovensk preklad listu:

Vazeny pan predseda / pani predsedkyna poslaneckeho klubu,
vazeni poslanci parlamentu,

Ako iste viete, hospodrsky vbor parlamentu, ktor je gestorskm vyborom a predkladatelom novely banskeho zakona, zasadal 6. novembra 2001.

Hospodarsky vybor parlamentu schvalil a pojal do spolocnej spravy rozsireneho znenia dolezite pripomienky k tejto novele. Tieto pripomienky boli vypracovane MVO SOSNA (Kosice) a SZOPK Brectan. Hlasovanie parlamentu o novom banskom zakone, ktore malo byt 9. novembra, bolo prelozene na 27. novembra 2001. Takisto Vas ziadame pri tomto hlasovani o podporu navrhu pana poslanca Jurisa na odpis zasob nevytazenych lozisk v Slovenskom krase, ktory je najkratsou cestou k definitivnemu odstraneiu hrozby
novych lomov.

Ako milovnici prirody, ochranari, pozorovatelia vtactva, alebo jednoducho ludia z roznych koncin sveta, ktori prejavuju svoje obavy, apelujeme na Vas, aby ste prijali novy bansky zakon - vratane tychto vyznamnych doplnkov. Tento zakon je zivotne dolezity pre ochranu prirody, pretoze banske aktivity pochovavaju prirodnu krasu a sposobuju nenavratne zmeny v prirode, trvale poskodenie flory a fauny.

Obzvlast by sme chceli upriamit Vasu pozornost na Slovensky kras. Toto uzemie pojate do zoznamu Svetoveho dedicstva, jedinecne v strednej Europe, ktore je stale domovom velkeho a rozmaniteho poctu druhov rastlin a zivocichov, je existencne ohrozene banskymi a taziarskymi aktivitami, ktore sa planuju este rozsirovat. Taketo aktivity, ak dovolime, aby sa dalej rozsirovali, znicia zivotne prostredie mnohych druhov flory a fauny a budu znamenat koniec planov smerujucich k zriadeniu velkolepeho narodneho parku pre Slovensko a pre zvysok Europy. Vyznamne biotopy pre vtactvo by boli nenavratne stratene a hrozil by vazny dopad na buducnost jedinecneho jaskynneho systemu Slovenskeho krasu a susedneho Narodneho parku Aggtelek v Madarsku.

Vsetci z nas dobre poznaju dlhy zoznam zamerne, aj neplanovane znicenych vyznamnych prirodnych a kulturnych hodnot ludstva za uplynule 2 storocia. A 21. storocie, zial, ak budeme pokracovat dalej tak ako sme zacali, tiez nebude ziadnou vynimkou. Nepridajme Slovensky kras na zoznam znicenych environmentalnych bitevnych poli!

Zoberte si priklad zo susedneho Madarska. Narodny park Aggtelek navstevuje rocne 200 000 turistov z celej Europy, aj z inokadial. Tento velky ekonomicky potencial, so sucasne respektovanymi ochranarskymi opatreniami je urcite lepsou alternativou pre vase prirodne skvosty, ako nasilne zdevastovana krajina. Je tu jasna buducnost pre eko- a agroturistiku, zriadovanie a rozsirovanie dalsich bani zoberie vsetko a necha dieru v strede kolaca z dlhodobeho hladiska, este dokonca aj investicie, ci moznosti zvysenia zamestnanosti sa rozplynu.

Viacere dotknute statne organy SR (napr. MZP, Urad vlady, obvodny bansky urad v Spisskej Novej Vsi a ine) dostali e-maily od nas v priebehu tohto roka. Je to dokazom toho, ze buducnost Slovenska a jeho prirody, vasej krajiny, vasich prirodnych skvostov su aj zaujmom ludi mimo vasich narodnych, statnych, ci regionalnych hranic. Dufame, ze vyuzijete Vas vplyv, alebo Vas hlas 27. novembra k stabilizacii stavu zivotneho prostredia vo vasej krajine, co sa prejavi aj na vazkach zivotneho prostredia a prirodnej rovnovahy sveta. Vase potvrdenie doplnkov banskeho zakona je mala - ale nanajvys dolezita - akceptacia tejto zodpovednosti.

Ostavam s pozdravom a nadejou na Vasu podporu,

David Conlin
koordinator Proact

a nasledujuci zoznam clenov Teamu Proact zastupujucich vyssie uvedene kontinenty, krajiny a osoby.

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..... to here

David Conlin
Proact Coord

Proact © David Conlin 2001