By Peter Javurek

BRATISLAVA, July 2 (Reuter) - Slovak nationalist politicians accused the government on Wednesday of bowing to outside pressure in deciding to withdraw a controversial history book from the country's schools.

The Ministry of Education issued a terse announcement late on Tuesday saying it had ordered the immediate withdrawal of the book ``The History of Slovakia and the Slovaks'' by Milan Durica as a school textbook.

The book, published by the ministry with financing from the European Union, came under heavy criticism from Jewish groups and historians for denying Slovak Jews were persecuted by the Slovak state during World War Two.

``I don't see any pragmatic reason for this move, it is only a result of European Union pressure,'' Rafael Rafaj spokesman of the ultra-right Slovak National Party (SNS) told Reuters. 

The SNS, part of the three-party coalition, holds the education ministry. 

``We have no reason to change our (positive) opinion of this book,'' Rafaj added, referring to a previous SNS statement praising the book as ``a precious and objective summary of the history of Slovakia.''

Ministry officials were not available for comment.

The book was also criticised by EU External Relations Commissioner Hans van den Broek who last week in Brussels urged Bratislava to withdraw it.

His appeal provoked a fierce reaction from Slovak coalition deputies who rejected Van den Broek's criticism as a ``censorship order.''

The education ministry last week defended the book and accused the EU of interference in Slovakia's internal affairs and of a ``serious attempt to discredit her internationally.''

The book was published with EU funding from its PHARE assistance programme.

Last Friday in Amsterdam Slovak Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar admitted that parts of the book were inaccurate and historically incorrect.

But he said he would not bow to an EU demand to have it withdrawn from bookshelves in Slovakia, although it would not be used as originally planned as a school textbook. 

Vladimir Hagara, spokesman of Meciar's ruling Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), refused to comment on the ministry's move.

``Why should I comment on this,'' asked Hagara, who had last week praised the book. ``It is a matter of the ministry's decision, that's all,'' he added.

Tracing Slovak history from the first century AD to modern times, the book denies that Slovakia's Jewish community, estimated at 70,000 just before the war, was persecuted under the clerical-fascist Slovak State, a Nazi German puppet regime set up in March 1939.

Fewer than 10,000 Slovak Jews survived the Holocaust and the country's Jewish community now numbers around 4,000.

Slovak leaders want to join the EU in its next enlargement, and have been resentful of EU criticism of its human rights record, in areas like the protection of minorities.