OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 30, 12 February 1997

JUNIOR COALITION PARTNER TO INITIATE TALKS ON EARLY ELECTIONS IN
SLOVAKIA. Slovak National Party (SNS) Chairman Jan Slota on 11 February
called for coalition talks on early parliamentary elections, CTK
reported. The SNS plans to discuss the issue at the next coalition
meeting. According to Slota, the balance of power in the parliament
between the coalition and opposition is now 50:50, which he sees as a
reason for early elections. Slota expressed regret about the
parliament's failure to approve the penal code amendment, which he
considers a law that could make "order in disordered Slovakia" and could
stop Slovaks in southern Slovakia from feeling that they live in
Hungary. He also said it was irresponsible of deputies from the ZRS and
others to have voted against the amendment. -- Anna Siskova

HUNGARIAN RAILROAD PRESIDENT STEPS DOWN AS NEW SCANDAL LOOMS. Sandor
Kis
Kalnoki, president of the Hungarian State Railroad company MAV, has
resigned, Hungarian media reported on 11 February. Kalnoki's resignation
comes just ahead of the release of the final results of an investigation
into MAV's finances. That investigation was launched late last year by
Transport Minister Karoly Lotz. MAV's losses at the end of 1996 stood at
15.7 billion forints ($98.1 million). Kalnoki is reported to have been
involved in arranging adverse business deals between a company called
Ples and the state railroads. Such deals may have cost MAV as much as 1
billion forints. Meanwhile, opposition leader Jozsef Torgyan told the
parliament that MAV incurred losses by buying useless and outdated
Romanian freight cars. He also alleged that MAV awarded contracts worth
hundreds of millions of forints without issuing a tender. -- Zsofia
Szilagyi

HUNGARIAN OFFICIAL SAYS SLOVAKIA VIOLATES BASIC TREATY. Foreign Ministry
spokesman Gabor Szentivanyi on 11 February said the Slovak government is
violating the Hungarian-Slovak basic treaty and international agreements
by banning bilingual school reports, Hungarian media reported.
Szentivanyi warned that the Hungarian government will appeal to
international organizations to protest school reports issued only in
Slovak. He also reiterated Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs's call for the
Slovak parliament to enact a minority language law. -- Zsofia Szilagyi

[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Jan Cleave