part of communist Czechoslovakia, was excluded from the first wave of EU accession talks for failing to meet membership criteria on democratic reform. The EU, along with the United States and human rights groups, has accused Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar`s government of meddling in the freedom of the press, failing to respect decisions by the consitutional court and unfairly treating the country`s 500,000-strong

ethnic Hungarian minority. The government denies all the accusations, saying its foreign critics are misinformed about events in Slovakia. But a statement issued by the EU delegation said van den Broek would would continue to stress that the EU regarded the political requirements for membership as paramount in Slovakia`s case. Van den Broek will meet Prime Minister Mečiar, Foreign Minster Zdenka Kramplová, other government officials and opposition leaders during his trip.