Next government will continue sale of SND property

Premier Mikulas Dzurinda said on Tuesday that the next government will continue to sell land and property needed to raise funds in order to complete the new Slovak National Theatre building. According to Dzurinda, this is an ethical, normal, healthy and responsible attitude. "The financing of the completion of the SND building is going well," Dzurinda said shortly after inspecting the new building.

The state will complete the construction of the new SND building, which has been dragging on for decades, using EUR 23 million of public funds. This move comes via a proposal presented by Culture Minister Frantisek Toth, which was approved by the Cabinet on July 13, 2005. Dzurinda claimed that the Government neither privatises nor sells anything. The Cabinet was due to discuss the sale of the national theatre property at its session on Wednesday.

Another outcome of Dzurinda's inspection is the news that the opening date of the new theatre building should be September 1, 2006. According to the theatre acting general director Marian Chudovsky, the opening date gives a guarantee to the Slovak national theatre that it will soon move into the new building. "We have a guarantee that the date will be observed," added Chudovsky. Dzurinda pointed out that the trust between the Government and the new national theatre leadership has again been restored. The Government agrees with the artistic community that the new building should have a single minder.