(Elnezest az esetleges kisbetukert, de az eredeti szoveg csupa
nagybetuvel volt irva, amit at kellett cserelnem.)

Buchwald Amy

*****************************************************************

date=10/2/95
type=correspondent report
number=2-186229
title=Romania President / l-a (l-only)

byline=Alan Silverman

dateline=Los Angeles
content=
voiced at:

Intro:  The president of Romania contends the Bucharest
government is  not  persecuting the country's Hungarian minority.
He spoke with reporters Monday in Los Angeles.  VoA's Alan
Silverman was there and filed this report.

Text:  President Ion Iliescu says official suppression of ethnic
Hungarians does  not   exist in Romania.  In fact, he contends,
national minorities in Romania have, in the president's words,
"the most liberal status" of anywhere in Europe.

                       /// Iliescu act ///

         For Hungarians, for instance:  they are represented in
         the parliament and the local councils.  They have their
         schools in their own mother tongue.  They have their
         cultural and artistic institutions -- their newspapers,
         radio and T-v stations.  You shall  not   find all this
         for Romanians in Hungary.  Some nationalistic forces
         from the Hungarian side are raising some problems on it,
         but there does  not  exist any suppression or oppression
         of the minority of Hungarians.

                         /// End act ///

Noting that the historical roots of the problem stretch back
several generations, president Iliescu urges Hungarian
nationalists to support his efforts to negotiate "a historic
reconciliation" with Hungary:

                     /// opt Iliescu act ///

         The relations between Romania and Hungary are quite
         good.  We consider relations to be normal and we have
         proposed to solve even such sensitive problems by
         political agreement by a common proclamation of the
         determination of Romania and Hungary to set up a new
         climate of relations, of neighborliness, of cooperation
         and common integration into the new Europe.  These are
         the main political proposals we have made to the
         Hungarians.

                         /// End opt ///

President Iliescu's stops on the American west coast -- in Los
Angeles and Seattle -- come at the end of an official visit to
promote trade and cooperation with Romania.

                        /// Rest opt ///

In Washington, he pursued establishment of permanent most-
favored nation trading status, which must be approved by
congress:

                       /// Iliescu act ///

         President Clinton and commerce secretary Brown expressed
         their decision to present this proposal to the congress.
         We have discussed with all the congressmen -- we met
         senators and representatives -- and it seems that there
         will be a correct approach there also.  We hope the
         congress will accept it.

                         /// End act ///

Romania's permanent M-F-N status was revoked in 1988 in response
to human rights abuses under the communist government of the late
Nicolae Ceaucescu.  Congress requires the reduced-tariff trading
status be renewed on yearly basis if the state department
certifies progress on rights and other issues. (Signed)

neb/ads/skh

02-Oct-95 8:46 pm edt (0046 utc)
nnnn

source: Voice of America


OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 194, 5 October 1995
        
REACTIONS TO STATEMENT ON SLOVAK NEUTRALITY. Miroslav Spejl of the
opposition Social Democratic Party, at a press conference on 4 October,
reacted to statements by Slovak National Party (SNS) Chairman Jan Slota
rejecting NATO membership (see OMRI Daily Digest, 4 October 1995). Spejl
said that because "no one knows what will happen to the east of our
border or to the south of the Hungarian border," Slovakia has no choice
but to look for partners who "would help [the country] to ensure its
security." Defense Ministry spokesman Frantisek Kosicky also discounted
Slota's statements. "Slovakia does not have historical experiences with
neutrality, and the government clearly stated in its program declaration
its aim to gain membership in NATO," Kosicky told Pravda. According to
Kosicky, NATO is the "most effective existing security organization."
Likewise, Foreign Ministry spokesman Juraj Matejovsky said "Slovakia's
foreign policy orientation toward membership in NATO is unchangeable."
-- Sharon Fisher
HUNGARY TO SUPPORT ROMANIA'S NATO MEMBERSHIP. Hungarian Defense Minister
Gyorgy Keleti, at a joint news conference with his visiting Romanian
counterpart, Gheorghe Tinca, said Hungary will support Romania's
membership in NATO if Romania meets NATO conditions, including the
settlement of minority issues, Hungarian and international media
reported on 5 October. President Arpad Goncz said it was in Hungary's
interests that Romania joins the EU and that both countries join at the
same "historical moment," Magyar Nemzet reported. The defense ministers
two days previously signed a joint statement on progress achieved to
date in East European military cooperation and agreed to further
strengthen their military ties, which they hope will contribute to
consolidating relations between the two countries. A key treaty between
Budapest and Bucharest has been delayed due to differences over the
minority rights of the more than 1.6 million ethnic Hungarians in
Transylvania. -- Zsofia Szilagyi and Matyas Szabo

HUNGARIAN STUDENTS PROTEST OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT. An estimated 10,000
university students on 4 October took part in an all-night vigil outside
the parliament building to protest the introduction of additional
tuition fees, Hungarian newspapers reported the next day. The students
originally demanded that the new monthly 2,000 forint ($15) tuition fees
be postponed for one year, but following talks with the education
authorities, they withdrew that demand. At the same time, they remain
firmly opposed to any additional tuition fees. According to a ministry
decree, institutions of higher education can charge up to 8,000 forint
($60) a month. When the government announced the fees in March as part
of a controversial austerity package, officials said the country could
no longer afford free higher education. -- Zsofia Szilagyi

[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Jan Cleave

Thursday, 05 October 1995
Volume 2, Issue 193




REGIONAL NEWS
-------------


**CENTRAL EUROPEAN TRIBES SMOKE THE PEACE PIPE**
  Romanian Defense Minister Gheorge Tinca and Hungarian Defense
  Minister Gyorgy Keleti signed an agreement yesterday to
  increase cooperation between their two countries' militaries.
  The deal is designed to build confidence and increase both
  countries' chances of entering NATO.  The agreement
  establishes cooperative efforts between the two militaries in
  a variety of areas, ranging from education to maintenance of
  military equipment.  A joint committee is also studying
  cooperative development of weapons.  Hungary and Romania have
  historically been at odds over ownership of Transylvania and
  there are still tensions over the treatment of the Hungarian
  minority there.  But Defense Minister Keleti said the two
  militaries want to increase cooperation so they can improve
  their chances of entering NATO.

  "Hungarian foreign policy is not aimed at competing against
  Romania in the procedure of joining NATO.  We support
  Romania's plan to join NATO if they meet the expectations and
  fulfill the requirements NATO sets."

  NATO members have encouraged Hungary and Romania to seek closer
  ties.  In fact, U.S Defense Secretary William Perry reportedly
  promised to help the nations set up a hot line between their
  defense ministries.  Now, Keleti and Tinca are sending a
  letter to Perry, asking him to keep his promise. --David Fink



BUSINESS NEWS
-------------

**HUNGARY LIVING WITHOUT IMF AID**
  Hungarian central bank President Gyorgy Suranyi said Hungary
  doesn't need a standby loan agreement with the International
  Monetary Fund as much as it used to because the country's
  economic performance has improved.  An IMF delegation and
  Hungarian finance ministry and central bank officials ended
  their latest round of talks last month without reaching an
  agreement on the standby facility.  But Suranyi said an
  agreement isn't likely until next year.  According to Suranyi,
  Hungary's economic situation has changed since the
  introduction of a tough austerity package in March.  The
  austerity package slashed public sector wages and welfare
  benefits, devalued the forint immediately by 9 percent and
  introduced a pre-announced crawling peg devaluation system and
  an 8 percent import surcharge.  Suranyi said contrary to the
  IMF's opinion, he thinks Hungary's net debt can be stabilized.
  Hungary's net debt for the first six months of this year is
  $22 billion.



ABOUT CET ON-LINE
-----------------

* CET On-Line is Copyright (c) 1995 Word Up! Inc., New Media
  Group, all rights reserved.  Not-for-profit redistribution of
  CET On-Line in electronic format is allowed only if our
  copyright notice, and all other copyright and by-line
  information contained in this publication is included.
  For-profit distribution of this publication or the information
  contained herein is strictly prohibited without the express
  written permission of Word Up! Inc., New Media Group.  These
  conditions are subject to change without notice.  For further
  information, contact Zoltan Nagy at >

  Some portions of the news provided by special agreement with
  Reuters.  For information on Reuters news and information
  products, contact your local Reuters office.


* All "Letters to the Editor" and other comments about
  editorial content should be directed to Duncan Shiels at
  >.  Any comments about distribution or
  production should be directed to Zoltan Nagy at
  >.


**CET On-Line** is a Word Up! Inc., New Media Group
  Publication.  The New Media Group also publishes the Prague
  Financial Monitor on-line.  For more information on the Prague
  FM, send a message with the word INFO in the body of a message
  to >.

  For a copy of the latest issue of the Prague Financial Monitor,
  send a blank e-mail message to >.


**Subscription Information**
  CET On-Line is a free e-publication.  Subscribe by sending a
  message with the word SUBSCRIBE in the body of a message to
  >.  For an automated information
  response, send a blank message to >.

  To unsubscribe at any time, send the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body,
  not the subject line, of a message to >.

  For a copy of the latest issue of CET On-Line, simply send a blank
  e-mail message to >.

OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 195, 6 October 1995

HUNGARIAN STUDENTS STRIKE DEAL WITH GOVERNMENT. Hungary's students
struck a deal with Prime Minister Gyula Horn and Minister of Culture
Gabor Fodor on 5 October, Hungarian newspapers and international media
reported the next day. While the students accepted the need for basic
tuition fees, the government agreed to suspend plans to have additional
fees imposed by institutes of higher education. Paying for tuition is
part of the austerity package that has triggered protests across the
country this year. Tamas Bauer, leader of the Alliance of Free Democrats
(the junior coalition partner in the Socialist-led government) told
Hungarian TV on 5 October that he hoped the government would not give in
to pressure, "because then everyone will take to the streets with their
grievance." Meanwhile, Minister of Labor Magda Kovacs Kosane announced
her resignation on 5 October citing conflicts between the Finance
Ministry and the Labor Ministry over the former's proposal on sick pay,
Nepszabadsag reported. -- Zsofia Szilagyi

HUNGARIAN FOUNDATION AWARDED "ALTERNATIVE NOBEL PRIZE." A Hungarian
foundation that promotes Romani entrepreneurship in business,
agriculture, and education has received the 1995 Right Livelihood Award,
which will be officially presented on the eve of the Nobel prize
ceremonies, international media reported on 4 October. The Hungarian
Self-Reliance Foundation will share the $250,000 award with Serbian,
Thai, and Indonesian human rights organizations. The foundation aims to
help the many Roma who have lost work in recent years, offering them
opportunities to retrain and acquire basic legal and financial
knowledge. -- Alaina Lemon


ROMANIAN, HUNGARIAN NEWS AGENCIES TO COOPERATE. The state-run new
agencies Rompres and MTI have signed in Bucharest a cooperation
agreement, Radio Bucharest reported on 5 October. The agreement provides
for the exchange of news and services as well as professional assistance
to correspondents. MTI director-general Karoly Alexa said the Hungarian
public is interested in all news about Romania, not just that concerning
the Hungarian minority. He stressed that for this reason, it is
important to have a Hungarian correspondent in Bucharest and a Romanian
one in Budapest. The two news agencies are not allowed to interfere in
each other's reporting and, where necessary, will cite each other as
primary sources. -- Matyas Szabo

[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Jan Cleave

Friday, 06 October 1995
Volume 2, Issue 194



REGIONAL NEWS
-------------


**BOSNIAN PUZZLE VEXES NATO**
  NATO defense ministers are wrestling with deep differences over
  a multinational peace force for Bosnia and efforts to balance
  opposing forces in the former Yugoslavia.  The 16 ministers
  met yesterday in Williamsburg, Virgina.  They're trying to
  reach a consensus on details of plans to send a NATO force to
  police a possible Bosnian peace accord.  The ministers also
  reviewed NATO's relations with Russia and discussed plans to
  expand into eastern Europe.  They decided to stall the
  alliance's expansion in an attempt to buy time to win Russia's
  consent.  Right now, Moscow is vehemently opposed to NATO
  enlargement.  The ministers have effectively put the issue on
  the back-burner until after presidential elections in Russia
  and the United States next year. Still, some former Soviet
  bloc nations are expected to join by 1999.  They would almost
  certainly include Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and
  Hungary.



BUSINESS NEWS
-------------


**FACING FINANCIAL FACTS**
  Hungarian Finance Minister Lajos Bokros said Hungary will only
  make half what it predicted from privatization this year.
  Bokros told the Budapest daily, Nepszava "in a realistic case
  I see half of the planned $1.2 billion of privatization
  revenues coming in."  He added that so far this year the
  government has received about $67 million worth of
  privatization income.  Last year, the government announced
  international tenders for major stakes in a number of
  state-owned companies, including the national oil company MOL,
  the electricity utility MVM, the gas supply sector, and the
  telecommunications group MATAV.  Privatization revenues are
  crucial to the government's efforts to reduce its budget
  deficit.


**HUNGARIAN STUDENTS SAY G'BYE TO FREE EDUCATION**
  Another important part of deficit reduction in Hungary is an
  austerity plan introduced last spring.  Part of the plan
  requires students, for the first time, to pay a small tuition
  fee.  The idea hasn't gone over well.  Thousands of Hungarian
  students protested in front of parliament Wednesday and
  yesterday.  They jeered when Hungarian student leaders
  announced they'd reached an agreement with Prime Minister
  Gyula Horn and Minister of Culture and Education Gabor Fodor.
  Under the deal, students will pay a basic monthly tuition fee
  of $15.  In return the government has promised to hold talks
  with higher education institutions to persuade them not to
  introduce supplementary tuition fees this academic year.



FEATURE
-------

**THE UNWELCOME WESTERN IMPORT**
  By David Fink

  Across central Europe, crime has become a factor in people's
  lives.  Streets in many cities are no longer safe at night,
  while business is booming for firms offering private security
  services.  But the region is not in the midst of a crime wave.
  Crime rates seem to be stabilizing across central Europe, as
  the situation in Hungary testifies.

  When Janos Nemes stepped out of his house to go to work one
  summer morning, he discovered the family car was stolen.  He
  filed a report with the police, but they were never able to
  find the car or the thieves.  Nemes' wife Julia said such a
  crime would have been unthinkable even a few years ago.  But
  now, she and her neighbors live in fear.  Robberies have
  become common on their leafy suburban street in Budapest's
  13th district, while beatings and even murders in the area
  make residents afraid to venture out at night.  Julia said it
  sometimes makes her long for the good old days.

  "You could walk on the street at night and the woman could come
  home alone.  So we didn't think about crimes."

  Julia isn't alone in thinking crime is out of control.  It's a
  perception shared by many central Europeans.  But experts say
  crime rates have actually stabilized across the region in the
  past two or three years, after rising sharply during the 1980s
  and early 90s.  The catch is, they've stabilized at a level
  that's much higher than in the past when a strong welfare
  system and a police state kept crime rates low.  In Hungary,
  for instance the number of crimes increased from about 110,000
  in 1969 to about 200,000 annually over the past few years.
  Police are quick to take credit for stopping the increase in
  crime. Antal Kaciba is in charge of the criminal investigation
  division of the Hungarian National Police.  He said officers
  are much better educated than before.  They must have a
  secondary school degree and complete a three year course at
  Hungary's police academy.  The cadets receive specialized
  instruction on many of the new crimes plaguing the region like
  drug smuggling.  Experienced officers from throughout central
  and eastern Europe get even more instruction at the training
  center the FBI established in Budapest last spring.  Kaciba
  said this new knowledge is paying off.

  "Part of the decrease in crime is due to good police work.
  It's a fact the police have gotten into better shape and their
  effectiveness has improved.  But you should know that the
  police are only one factor."

  Indeed, experts say other factors could be far more important
  in explaining the leveling out of crime rates.  Some think
  central European societies are settling down after the
  upheaval of the economic and political transition.  But that's
  not the only theory. Geza Fiuszter is the general director of
  the Institute for Law Enforcement Management Training and
  Research in Budapest.  He said central European societies just
  can't produce any more people with the psychological profile
  to become criminals.

  "There is a personal side to criminal activity, that is the
  people who become criminals.  This is only a limited number of
  people in any society.  And this is not a layer of society
  which can increase endlessly."

  That might not be much of a comfort to central Europeans
  suffering from unprecedented levels of crime.  But it could be
  worse.  While central Europeans may think they have it bad,
  statistics show crime rates in European Union countries are
  still 1 and half or 2 times higher.


                   

ABOUT CET ON-LINE
-----------------

* CET On-Line is Copyright (c) 1995 Word Up! Inc., New Media
  Group, all rights reserved.  Not-for-profit redistribution of
  CET On-Line in electronic format is allowed only if our
  copyright notice, and all other copyright and by-line
  information contained in this publication is included.
  For-profit distribution of this publication or the information
  contained herein is strictly prohibited without the express
  written permission of Word Up! Inc., New Media Group.  These
  conditions are subject to change without notice.  For further
  information, contact Zoltan Nagy at >

  Some portions of the news provided by special agreement with
  Reuters.  For information on Reuters news and information
  products, contact your local Reuters office.


* All "Letters to the Editor" and other comments about
  editorial content should be directed to Duncan Shiels at
  >.  Any comments about distribution or
  production should be directed to Zoltan Nagy at
  >.


**CET On-Line** is a Word Up! Inc., New Media Group
  Publication.  The New Media Group also publishes the Prague
  Financial Monitor on-line.  For more information on the Prague
  FM, send a message with the word INFO in the body of a message
  to >.

  For a copy of the latest issue of the Prague Financial Monitor,
  send a blank e-mail message to >.


**Subscription Information**
  CET On-Line is a free e-publication.  Subscribe by sending a
  message with the word SUBSCRIBE in the body of a message to
  >.  For an automated information
  response, send a blank message to >.

  To unsubscribe at any time, send the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body,
  not the subject line, of a message to >.

  For a copy of the latest issue of CET On-Line, simply send a blank
  e-mail message to >.