OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 9, 14 January 1997

HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER CRITICIZES SERB, BULGARIAN  
HARDLINE SOCIALISTS.
Gyula Horn on 13 January fiercely criticized the Belgrade and Sofia
governments, blaming the current wave of mass unrest on the fact that
the two Socialist governments have delayed democratic reforms. He noted
that while his Hungarian Socialist Party has been accepted into the
worldwide Socialist International, the Serbian and Bulgarian Socialist
parties have not. Horn's remarks follow a 12 January government
statement voicing concern over recent developments in Serbia and a
Hungarian deputy's speech that was critical of Serbian President
Slobodan Milosevic at an opposition rally in Belgrade. -- Zsofia
Szilagyi

ROMANIAN NATIONALISTS OPPOSE HUNGARIAN CONSULATE IN CLUJ. The Local
Council of Cluj on 13 January issued a statement calling the decision to
reopen a Hungarian consulate there as "unwelcome and lacking any
pragmatic basis," Radio Bucharest reported. Cluj Mayor Gheorghe Funar,
who heads the extremist Party of Romanian National Unity, said that he
would use all democratic means to fight against what he described as an
"irresponsible" decision. The government coalition councilors walked out
of the extraordinary council meeting in protest. The council's statement
came after news that Foreign Minister Adrian Severin had agreed to the
consulate's reopening during a visit to Budapest in late December. Last
week, all parliamentary opposition parties objected to the reopening.
The consulate was closed down in 1988 under Nicolae Ceausescu. -- Zsolt
Mato

[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Victor Gomez