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OMRI Daily Digest - 1 February 1995 (mind) |
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CET - 2 February 1995 (mind) |
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CET - 1 February 1995 (mind) |
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| + - | OMRI Daily Digest - 1 February 1995 (mind) |
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OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 23, 1 February 1995
OSCE DELEGATION CONDEMNS RUSSIAN ACTION IN CHECHNYA.
The Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE) fact-finding
mission has condemned the "disproportionate and indiscriminate" Russian use
of military force against Chechnya. The head of the mission, Hungarian
diplomat Istvan Gyarmati, said the situation in Chechnya borders on
"catastrophe," according to international agencies. The delegation will
report to OSCE headquarters on 2 February. Gyarmati has said he will urge
early elections in Chechnya, so that "the Chechen people's legitimate
representatives can hold talks on the status of the republic within the
Russian Federation." Russian authorities have fully cooperated with the
OSCE, according to Gyarmati. Speaking on 31 January with Willy Wimmer,
deputy chairman of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, State Duma Speaker Ivan
Rybkin defended the Russian military by stressing that when troops "came
into contact with the most modern weapons," they "were forced to respond
accordingly," ITAR TASS reported. Some Russian media also took a different
view of the OSCE mission than the Western press. The daily Izvestiya ran
this headline on 31 January: "After Chechnya, OSCE Delegation 'Sympathizes'
With Russia." The article stressed Gyarmati's comment that the territorial
integrity of Russia must be preserved. -- Michael Mihalka, OMRI, Inc.
As of 12:00 CET
Compiled by Victor Gomez
HUNGARIAN COURT RULINGS ON 1956 CRIMES. Two members of the former Hungarian
communist militia were sentenced to five years in prison for their role in
shooting and killing at least 46 unarmed demonstrators on 8 December 1956
in Salgotarjan, MTI reports. The judge cited the New York Convention of
1968, according to which crimes against humanity committed in peace time
must also be prosecuted. These are the first convictions for crimes
committed during the 1956 revolution. Seven of the 12 men charged with the
killings were acquitted because of lack of evidence; and charges against
three others were dropped. Both the prosecution and the defense have the
right to appeal. The Budapest Military Court on 27 January dropped charges
against two military officers accused of ordering a pilot to shoot into a
crowd of unarmed demonstrators in Tiszakecske on 27 October 1956. The court
ruled that the 1949 Geneva International Convention on crimes against
humanity did not cover internal conflicts. It is estimated that some 1,000
unarmed demonstrators were killed by communists in 1956. -- Edith Oltay,
OMRI, Inc.
[As of 1200 CET]
Compiled by Jan Cleave
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A tovabbterjesztest a New York-i szekhelyu Magyar Emberi Jogok
Alapitvany tamogatja.
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Reposting is supported by Hungarian Human Rights Foundation News
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| + - | CET - 2 February 1995 (mind) |
VÁLASZ |
Feladó:  (cikkei)
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02 February 1995
Volume 2, Issue 24
REGIONAL NEWS
-------------
**FOUR MORE TAKE STEP TOWARD EU**
Central and East European countries have moved a step closer to
membership in the European Union. Yesterday so-called Europe
Agreements took effect between the EU and the Czech Republic,
Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. Poland and Hungary have had
similar arrangements with the EU in place for a year. The
Europe Agreements provide for close political dialogue between
the EU and each country, establish a free market in industrial
goods and give preferential treatment to agricultural
products. EU leaders have agreed that countries with Europe
Agreements can eventually join, but no date has been set for
membership negotiations to start.
**MINORITY AGREEMENT LACKS MUSCLE**
Twenty-one countries signed the Convention for the Protection
of National Minorities yesterday in Strasbourg, France. The
agreement is sponsored by the Council of Europe. Among the
signatories are Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and
Lithuania. The convention is an attempt by the Council of
Europe to solve the problem of the status of minorities. But
it still needs to be ratified by the Parliaments of at least
12 of the signatory countries before it goes into effect. That
could take many years. The convention is also very limited.
It does call for the respect of minority languages and
cultures and the right to a different education. It also
forbids forced integration of minorities. But the convention
doesn't spell out what constitutes a minority and the
signatory countries may use that loophole to avoid enforcing
it. Hungary and Romania, for example, have a running dispute
over the large Hungarian minority living in Romania. Romanian
nationalists want to outlaw the Hungarian Democratic Union of
Romania Party, which represents the country's Hungarian
minority. But at least minorities like the Hungarians will now
have a legal document to fall back on when asserting their
rights.--Thierry Leveque
BUSINESS NEWS
-------------
**BUDAPEST STOCKS DO TURNAROUND**
Hungarian stocks bounced back yesterday, as investors re-bought
many of the shares they'd dumped earlier this week. The
Budapest exchange rose 19.74 points, to close at 1,179.18.
But analysts say the reversal could be temporary. The index
dropped dramatically on Monday and Tuesday on the weekend news
of Finance Minister Laszlo Bekesi's resignation. Some traders
say Monday's and Tuesday's sessions were over-reactions. The
resulting drops in price brought out the bargain hunters.
**HUNGARY'S GLOBUS MOVING INTO RUSSIA**
The Hungarian food cannery Globus plans to set up a joint
venture in Russia to sell its products. The company's
commercial director Ferenc Kuti says an agreement may be
signed in the next couple of months. He says Globus would
have a 51 percent stake in the venture. Kuti refused to name
his company's potential Russian partner. The company already
has an office in Moscow, and plans to market its foods and
juices in several former Soviet states.
BUSINESS FEATURE
----------------
**BRITISH LOW-SEASON AIR FARES ARE SEASONABLY LOW**
By David Fondler
Air fares to Britain should stay down until the end of March.
If you're planning a trip, you may find regional carriers can
match the low rates of standard-setting British Airways.
Chris Warrington heads up ESO Leisure Travel in Budapest. He
says the fares between London and Central Europe are pretty
much the same at this time, no matter what city you're in:
"The rates out of London to Budapest are averaging out about
$250 U-S, Prague, $240, Warsaw $260."
Warrington says local airlines -- Hungary's Malev, the Czech
Republic's CSA and LOT in Poland -- are all flying
western-made airplanes, typically Boeings, and generally offer
flights to London as frequently as British Airways. But, if
you're traveling to the north of England, or Scotland, it may
take you a while. That's because you'll probably want to fly
into Manchester, and
"British Airways does not provide direct service to any of these
destinations out of Manchester, I'm afraid."
Indirect fares to Manchester run about $370 out of Warsaw and
$365 from Budapest. These flights now involve a change of
planes in northern Europe, London, Amsterdam or Brussels, for
example. Currently, there's one direct flight between
Manchester and the region, and that's into Prague. It's on
CSA three times a week, and the fares start at $285, round
trip. During the summer, there'll be five flights a week, and
LOT will begin direct service between Manchester and Warsaw.
Warrington says there are no plans for any direct connections
between Manchester and Budapest.
"I don't think British Airways will pick up on it, although
I've been asking and asking for them to do so, but Malev may
do. But it just is their lack of aircraft at the moment."
Sometimes a non-local carrier is your best bet to Manchester.
The Dutch airline KLM, for example has a deal with the British
carrier UK Air, for flights out of Amsterdam. Smaller British
carriers like UK Air or British Midland can also connect
European travelers to smaller British destinations, like
Leeds, Birmingham or Glasgow.
But to catch these low rates, you have to travel now. Fares
have been known to go up by about 30 percent, once the warm
weather kicks in.
SURVEY
------
**HUNGARIAN POLITICAL SPECTRUM NOT EXACTLY A RAINBOW**
By David Fink
The 20th Century hasn't been kind to European liberal parties,
who have been eclipsed across the continent by their social
democratic and conservative rivals. Hungary, with two strong
liberal parties, has been an exception. But as Parliament
started its spring session this week, some observers were
saying Hungary's political scene was looking increasingly
bi-polar, with the liberal parties evaporating into political
blocs led by conservatives and socialists. The former student
radical Viktor Orban had a friendly meeting with old rival
Ivan Szabo last week. That would have been almost unthinkable
a couple of years ago. Orban's the leader of the liberal
Young Democrats while Szabo's Hungarian Democratic Forum Party
stands for a conservative christian democracy. But it's a sign
of the times in Hungary's Parliament as the liberal parties,
the Federation of Young Democrats and the Alliance of Free
Democrats, move in opposite directions. Since the Free
Democrats joined the Socialists in a coalition government,
following last spring's elections, the Young Democrats have
decided to cooperate with the conservatives. Many say this
could set the stage for the emergence of a political system
with only two competeing blocs. Imre Konya is the Hungarian
Democratic Forum's deputy faction leader.
"It's true that a bi-polar political system has been forming.
There's a left-wing bloc consisting of the Socialist Party and
the Alliance of Free Democrats and the other pole is the
(middle class) opposition consisting of the Young Democrats, the
Christian Democrats and the Hungarian Democratic Forum."
But Konya says a bi-polar system doesn't mean a two party
system. He thinks a French style conservative alliance, in
which the parties keep their identities, will form in Hungary.
Political analyst Attila Agh agrees that parties will want to
keep their own identities. As far as the conservatives go, he
says there are many roadblocks to a merger.
"Any merger, even half steps, would increase the competition of
the party leaders, who can become the number one, the top
leader and so on. And secondly the memberships have been
trained, socialized and mobilized and so on in terms of having
the other parties as strong competitors."
Agh adds that on the left, the Socialists and the Free Democrats
will never merge because of their hostile past. The current
governing coalition is like fire and water. The Free
Democrats grew out of Hungary's dissident movement while the
Socialists are the communist successor party. Socialist Party
Executive Council member Gyorgy Foldes says while the parties
are partners in government they are not partners in spirit.
"I am very determined from that point of view that the Socialist
Party is not the same as the Free Democrats and the other way
around of course is true, too. The Socialist party is not
interested in a union with the Free Democrats absolutely."
In fact, the coalition partners rarely seem to agree on
anything. They have openly fought over issues ranging from
privatization to media policy, leading to gridlock within the
coalition. Free Democrats are unhappy and say the coalition
problems have reached a critical stage with the resignation of
Finance Minister Laszlo Bekesi last weekend and Prime Minister
Gyula Horn's subsequent comments which appear to indicate he
wants more control of privatization. Yesterday Free Democrat
spokesman Kristof Varga said, "If we see that the agreed
economic program can't be carried through then there is no
point in continuing the coalition." Free Democrat Executive
Council member Alajos Dornbach says his party might even form
a coalition with conservatives after the next election.
"In principle I can imagine anything in a democracy. We of
course don't know what the political map will look like after
the next election. Under the present circumstances the
Socialist Party has an absolute majority by itself, against
which another coalition can't be set up. After the next
election it can, of course, happen."
With that kind of pragmatism, Hungary seems a long way from a
bi-polar political system. Party identity and rivalry remains
strong in Hungary's Parliament. And politicians are willing
to shift sides to advance their party's interest.
ABOUT CET ON-LINE
-----------------
* CET On-Line - copyright 1995 Word Up! Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication may be freely forwarded, archived, or
otherwise distributed in electronic format only so long as
this notice, and all other information contained in this
publication is included. For-profit distribution of this
publication or the information contained herein is strictly
prohibited. For more information, contact the publishers.
*****************************************************************
A tovabbterjesztest a New York-i szekhelyu Magyar Emberi Jogok
Alapitvany tamogatja.
[*] [*] [*] [*] [*][*] [*][*][*]
[*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*]
[*][*][*] [*][*][*] [*][*] [*][*]
[*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*]
[*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*]
Reposting is supported by Hungarian Human Rights Foundation News
and Information Service.
*****************************************************************
|
| + - | CET - 1 February 1995 (mind) |
VÁLASZ |
Feladó:  (cikkei)
|
01 February 1995
Volume 2, Issue 23
REGIONAL NEWS
-------------
**HUNGARIANS SENTENCED FOR ACTIONS IN '56**
For the first time, Hungarian citizens have been convicted of
crimes stemming from the 1956 uprising against the Soviet
Union. Yesterday the Budapest Municipal Court sentenced two
elderly men to five years in prison for crimes against
humanity for their part in putting down anti-Soviet
demonstrations in a small town in northern Hungary. Both the
prosecution and defense have the right to appeal. On December
8, 1956, a crowd gathered in the center of the northern
Hungarian mining town of Salgotarjan, angry at the presence of
the Soviet tanks and troops which had brutally crushed the
anti-communist uprising earlier that autumn. Ferenc Toldi and
Lajos Orosz were members of Hungary's communist militia, so
when the order was given to shoot on the demonstrators, they
did. According to official figures 47 people died and over 80
were wounded. Now, after 40 years of silence, many have
argued it's too late to bring those responsible to trial, but
others are determined to see justice done. Although Hungary
has a 20-year limit on bringing criminal charges, the
Constitutional Court has ruled that the killings should be
deemed as "crimes against humanity" so the perpetrators can
still be prosecuted and it's possible that the Salgotarjan
verdict will be the first in a series of similar
covictions. --Lucy Hooker
**VISINE DOESN'T COUNT**
Hungary has publically invited the International Swimming
Federation to carry out drug tests on its swimmers. The
Hungarian Olympic Committee has sent the Federation a
letter saying the tests can be done at Hungary's training
camps in the United States and South Africa. The letter said
that because of the fact that Hungary has produced some
world champion swimmers "certain circles have
questioned their being clean".
BUSINESS NEWS
-------------
**HUNGARIAN PM CRITICIZES ENERGY PRIVATIZATION**
Hungarian Prime Minister Gyula Horn attacked the planned
privatization of Hungary's utilities yesterday and indicated
the government wants more control over central bank policy.
Horn told the newspaper Nepszabadsag that Hungary shouldn't be
dependent on foreign or domestic private companies for its
energy supply. But he didn't say the privatization of
utilities would be stopped. Horn also says the National Bank
should coordinate important actions with the government. He
maintains the bank's decision to raise the bench mark base
interest rate by three points last week, to 28 percent, will
affect Hungary's budget deficit by raising the cost of debt
repayments. Analyst Martin Gollner of Nomura Securities in
London says Horn's statement won't make foreign investors
happy:
"I am especially concerned about the remark about the National
Bank which suggests the government would like to use the bank
as its own instrument rather than maintaining the independence
of the central bank. This has been crucial over the past few
years and will be equally crucial for further development."
International investors will also be looking closely at a new
privatization bill introduced yesterday in Parliament by
Finance Minister Laszlo Bekesi. He says all state-owned
companies will be sold by 1998. But Bekesi didn't mention
Horn's idea for a new privatization minister. That proposal
apparently helped prompted the finance minister's resignation,
which is effective March 1. --David Fink
BUSINESS FEATURE
----------------
**ACCOUNTING FIRMS FIND PROFESSIONAL LEVEL IN CENTRAL EUROPE**
by David Fondler
in cooperation with Business Central Europe magazine
Should you buy a Rolls Royce or a compact economy car? It
depends on what you're in the market for. Both cars will take
you places, and both say different things about the driver.
That's how one Budapest-based accounting executive contrasted
the high-priced services of his multi-national firm with those
of smaller, local accountants. Both offer results -- but what
comes with those results -- packaging, prestige and reputation
-- says as much about the client as its auditors.
Sandor Denes runs Denes and Daughter -- a small Budapest-based
accounting firm. He says he can offer the same services for
less money than the larger multi-national firms, but he
doesn't even bother to compete with them:
"We have to accept the rules here in the Hungarian market. A
multi-national huge company like IBM, Coca-Cola or let's say,
General Motors, they have the same auditor company everywhere
in the world, in South Africa, or Australia or Canada, whole
world contracts with let's say a Price Waterhouse."
But Denes also says the small to medium-sized companies who do
use his services are satisfied. He maintains he has an
advantage not only in price, but also in being more up-to-date
on Hungarian tax law than some of the larger accounting firms.
Denes says larger companies are sometimes too diverse in their
services -- preparing separate analyses for local tax purposes
and for corporate headquarters back home.
This point is disputed by David Thompson, a partner at KPMG
Hungary. Thompson says that among his firm's many large local
and multi-national clients is the Hungarian government itself.
"If you look back to December, the government announced the new
taxes for 1995, and before those were enacted we were making
recommendations to the government."
KPMG came to Budapest in 1989 with a crew of ex-pat auditors.
The firm arrived on the heals of some of its multi-national
clients. Since then, it's courted a number of large local
corporations, and hired a mostly local staff of accountants.
Similar situations developed as the firm expanded to the Czech
Republic, Poland and other former communist countries.
Five years ago, things were much more difficult. Bela Papp,
editor at Business Central Europe magazine, has followed the
development of accounting services over the years. He says in
charting this new territory, both accountants and their
clients found they had a lot to learn:
"When the western firms arrived, they arrived in an environment
where western-style accounting did not exist. Everybody was
at the bottom of the learning curve, not only the accountants,
but the local tax authorities, the local companies and the
local CFOs, in fact the position of Chief Financial Officer
was unheard of."
But all that has changed. Increasingly, local firms are
realizing that sophisticated bookkeeping can save money. So,
analysis and advice have become part of the audit. So it
seems for both large and small accounting firms have found
their level in this new market. And in many cases, defining
the level of service goes beyond meeting the needs of the
client, it means defining the demands of a changing economy.
SURVEY
------
**LABOR AND LOVE IN HUNGARIAN EXTENDED FAMILY**
by Emanuelle Richard
The Hungarian government is in charge of more than 23,000
orphans and underpriveliged children. Most of them are kept
in institutions until the age of 18. Eight thousand are
entrusted to families. Due to the lack of funds, the public
welfare system must rely more and more on foster parents.
Anna Nemes is a foster parent who's raised 30 children in the
last 25 years. Just look in her wallet, which is full of
photographs of foster children. Right now, Nemes has 18 under
her wing. They share six dorm-like rooms in a tiny two story
house. It's a lot of work for the 49-year-old foster mother
whose hair has already turned white.
"I get up at 5:30 to make breakfast. Every morning I need six
liters of milk and four kilograms of bread. Then, we wake up
some of the children at six, the others 15 minutes later so
that each of them can go to the bathroom in rotation."
Nemes has been an official guardian since 1989. She can now be
in charge of 20 abandoned children at a time. Under
communism, she only cared for four or five at once. Most of
the children have experienced violence and pain. This is
apparent in their behavior, Nemes explains.
"Although the children get along well together, they quite often
show aggresiveness. In a way, I like them to quarrel and
release their tensions. It's a good sign. I would worry if
they were as good as gold. They would be playing an unsuited
role."
But these tensions aren't as big a problem as money. Nemes
receives only $1,000 a month to care for the children. This
includes the $180 Nemes gets from the local public welfare
office. She says she barely has enough to feed the children
let alone buy what they need for an education.
"Every year at the beginning of term, I have to pay 60,000
forints, more than three months of my salary for books and
supplies. A box of colored pencils doesn't last more two
days. The children hand them around and play with them and
soon there is nothing left."
Lajos Krizsovensky is Vice-President of Hungary's Child
Protection Services for the Pest region. He says giving the
children a proper education is an ongoing problem, but his
first priority is giving them a good home. Since all the
children Nemes has raised have received diplomas,
Krizsovenszky says some things must be overlooked.
"From an education point of view, we are not sure Nemes is a
good example to follow. The ideal foster family would only
have three to five children at once. But on the other hand,
Anna Nemes is a wonderful woman and the children seem to feel
very well in her house."
Nemes met her first foster child while teaching Hungarian
literature in a small town in Central Hungary. A 13-year-old
girl at the school had no place to live. Her agressive
behavior made it difficult to find her a suitable home. Nemes
says she wanted to help and took the girl in. As a result,
Nemes' husband abandoned her and their two natural born
children. Now it's a family decision when a new foster child
joins the group. Little Jozsi explains.
"Sometimes Mummy is asked to welcome another child to our house.
When it happens she gathers us together in the living room.
Then she tells us what it's about and we finally vote by a
show of hands."
When talking about their future, some of the children say they
want to become foster parents someday. Despite the daily
struggle, Nemes keeps smiling. Her only worry is what would
happen to the children in the event of her own death.
ABOUT CET ON-LINE
-----------------
* CET On-Line - copyright 1995 Word Up! Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication may be freely forwarded, archived, or
otherwise distributed in electronic format only so long as
this notice, and all other information contained in this
publication is included. For-profit distribution of this
publication or the information contained herein is strictly
prohibited. For more information, contact the publishers.
*****************************************************************
A tovabbterjesztest a New York-i szekhelyu Magyar Emberi Jogok
Alapitvany tamogatja.
[*] [*] [*] [*] [*][*] [*][*][*]
[*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*]
[*][*][*] [*][*][*] [*][*] [*][*]
[*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*]
[*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*]
Reposting is supported by Hungarian Human Rights Foundation News
and Information Service.
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