RFE/RL NEWSLINE
Vol. 1, No. 137, 13 October1997
CZECHS, HUNGARIANS, POLES TO COOPERATE ON JOINING NATO.
Meeting in the Czech city of Komormi Hradek on 11 October, Czech
Defense Minister Miloslav Vyborny, Hungarian Defense Minister
Gyorgy Keliki, and Polish First Deputy Prime Minister Andrzej
Karkoszka agreed to coordinate military policies and purchases in
their bid to join the Western alliance, PAP reported. The three said
they are not yet ready to make joint purchases but will explore that
option in the future. In other news, France, Germany, and Poland
have agreed to upgrade their annual meetings from the ministerial to
the presidential level, ITAR-TASS reported on 11 October.
HUNGARIAN PREMIER SPEAKS OUT AGAINST NATIONALISM. Gyula
Horn on 10 October told the Council of Europe summit in Strasbourg
that the countries of East Central Europe must "turn their back on
destructive nationalism," Hungarian media reported. Horn stressed
that democracy and welfare go hand in hand and that the latter
cannot be achieved without the former. Meeting with Horn in
Strasbourg on 11 October, Romanian President Emil Constantinescu
said some Hungarian opposition parties at times use rhetoric that
serves to encourage nationalist forces in Romania.
HUNGARIAN ROW OVER SALE OF LAND TO FOREIGNERS. Istvan Szent-
Ivanyi, the chairman of the Free Democrats' parliamentary faction,
has called on Alliance of Young Democrats head Viktor Orban to
apologize for his 9 October statement saying the Young Democrats
have worked out an "emergency scenario" for the situation created
by the decision to hold the referenda on NATO and land sale to
foreign companies. Orban had also argued that such a situation was
not covered by the constitution. Szent-Ivanyi said there is no
constitutional crisis in Hungary and accused Orban of seeking to
cause "chaos and anarchy."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Copyright (c) 1997 RFE/RL, Inc.
All rights reserved.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
|
