OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 20, 29 January 1996

SLOVAK ROUNDUP. Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar told Slovak Radio on 26
January that the Slovak-Hungarian treaty will be ratified by the
parliament in March, but he warned that ratification "does not mean that
Hungarian nationalism will disappear from the scene." With regard to the
decision to move the central post office and bank to Banska Bystrica,
Meciar told Slovenska Republika on 27 January that "we all like [having]
Bratislava as our capital" but that cooperation with the opposition city
authorities has been unsuccessful. In other news, parliamentary Foreign
Committee chairman Dusan Slobodnik praised Russia's admission to the
Council of Europe, saying "only Russia respects freedom of the press as
much as Slovakia does," TASR reported on 26 January. -- Sharon Fisher

HUNGARY WELCOMES RUSSIA TO COUNCIL OF EUROPE. Hungarian Foreign Minister
Laszlo Kovacs told Magyar Hirlap on 27 January that Hungary welcomes the
admission of Russia to the Council of Europe, since the key precondition
to European security and stability are the strongest possible ties
between Moscow and European institutions. He added that Council of
Europe deputies believe that in order to neutralize Russia's fear of
isolation, it is better to have the country admitted than excluded. --
Zsofia Szilagyi

HUNGARY GRANTS FREQUENCIES TO U.S. FORCES. The Hungarian cabinet has
issued a decree granting two radio and one television frequencies to
U.S. forces temporarily stationed in Hungary, Magyar Nemzet reported on
27 January. The American Armed Forces Radio and Television Service
submitted an application to the Ministry of Culture last December. The
frequencies are to be granted by the end of the year. -- Zsofia Szilagyi

ROMANIAN EXTREMIST LEADER ATTACKS PRESIDENT AGAIN. Gheorghe Funar,
leader of the chauvinistic Party of Romanian National Unity (PUNR), has
renewed his attacks against Ion Iliescu. Cronica romana on 29 January
published a letter in which Funar complains that Iliescu has not given a
satisfactory answer to an earlier message dealing with the prospects for
a "historic reconciliation" with neighboring Hungary. Funar accused
Iliescu of trying to "hide" from political parties and public opinion in
Romania following Budapest's official reaction to his August
reconciliation proposal. He urged the president to enter a dialogue only
with his Hungarian counterpart and not with the Hungarian premier. --
Dan Ionescu

[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Jan Cleave


OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 21, 30 January 1996

SLOVAK WORKERS CHAIRMAN ON TREATY WITH HUNGARY. Jan Luptak, chairman of
the Association of Workers of Slovakia, a junior coalition partner, told
TASR on 29 January that certain steps must be taken prior to
ratification of the Slovak-Hungarian treaty. Luptak mentioned in
particular the adoption of a law on the protection of the republic,
which he said should prevent the creation of autonomous regions. Luptak
also stressed that the interpretation of the treaty must be clear before
ratification takes place, noting his frustration that the Council of
Europe has yet to clear up its position on Article 11 of its
Recommendation No. 1201, which deals with autonomy for minorities. --
Sharon Fisher

HUNGARY MAKES STEADY PROGRESS TOWARDS OECD MEMBERSHIP. OECD legal
counselor Christian Schricke arrived in Hungary on 29 January to prepare
the documentation for an eventual membership agreement with the
organization, Magyar Hirlap reported. His visit follows the OECD's
approval of Hungary's tax and environment policy last week. The long-
pending issue of bank secrecy was also resolved when Hungary undertook
to comply with OECD regulations allowing tax authorities to look into
the accounts of bank clients suspected of wrongdoing. The next step in
Hungary's negotiations will be in early February when OECD officials
will meet a Hungarian delegation -- led by Finance Minister Lajos Bokros
-- in Paris and examine Hungary's foreign exchange, privatization, and
economic policies. -- Zsofia Szilagyi

ROMANIAN RULING PARTY RESPONDS TO ALLY'S ATTACKS. The Party of Social
Democracy in Romania (PDSR) on 29 January responded to attacks by
Gheorghe Funar, the leader of the extremist Party of Romanian National
Unity (PUNR). In a statement read on Radio Bucharest, the PDSR press
bureau expressed surprise over Funar's allegations that the PDSR had
struck a "secret pact" with the Hungarian Democratic Federation of
Romania for the upcoming local elections. The charge had been formulated
in a letter addressed by Funar to President Ion Iliescu. The PDSR
further accused the PUNR of trying to make political capital by
artificially stirring up tension in Transylvania, where most of
Romania's ethnic Hungarians live. The PUNR has several portfolios in the
PDSR-dominated cabinet of Nicolae Vacaroiu. Romanian dailies wrote on 30
January that the PDSR-PUNR coalition seems doomed to end soon. -- Dan
Ionescu

ROMANIAN PRESIDENT HOSTS PARTY TALKS. Romanian President Ion Iliescu on
29 January invited leaders of the political parties represented in
parliament to a meeting, Romanian and international media reported. The
discussions focused on the upcoming elections, the law on local
government, the project on the state budget, and Romania's foreign
policy. Iliescu called for a civilized electoral campaign, and expressed
hopes that local elections could be held in April and parliamentary and
presidential ones in September. He asked the participants to support the
privatization process and the country's integration in the EU. The stage
of the negotiations over the bilateral basic treaties with Hungary,
Ukraine, and Russia were also discussed. The press did not have access
to the meeting. -- Matyas Szabo

HUNGARIAN AND CROATIAN ROMA PLAN EXCHANGES. The Ministry of Education
and Sport of the Croatian Republic sponsored a conference on Romani
education last week in Krizevcima, HINA reported on 27 January. Among
those invited were representatives from the Ghandhi high school for Roma
in Pecs, who told MTI on 29 January that the Hungarian and Croatian
teachers should share experiences in teaching for minorities, and would
plan exchanges. The Ghandhi school representative said that many Roma in
Pecs and across the border in Croatia are Beash and speak the same
dialect, but have been separated since the Trianon Treaty. According to
the last official census, there are 6,695 Roma in Croatia, but according
to Romani organizations, there are 150,000, 80% of whom are Beash-
speaking rather than Romani-speaking. -- Alaina Lemon

[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Saulius Girnius