BBC Monitoring quotes from Slovak press 5 April 06.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

The following is a selection of quotes from editorials and commentaries published in the 5 April editions of the main Slovak newspapers:

Gas/Russia-Belarus relations

Pravda (centre-left) hardcopy

"It seems that the speed with which [Russian gas company] Gazprom acted [in raising the price of gas for Belarus] following the Belarusian [presidential] election has taken by surprise also [Belarusian President Alyaksandr] Lukashenka himself... Behind the whole game, there is an energy issue: Gazprom can further alter the gas price depending on whether Lukashenka agrees to the Russian giant's taking …