OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 117, 16 June 1995
OSCE PRAISES IMPROVED RUSSIAN HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD IN CHECHNYA. The
OSCE's special envoy to Chechnya, the Hungarian diplomat Istvan
Gyarmati, praised Russia's improved human rights record in that
republic, Reuters reported on 15 June. Speaking in Budapest, Gyarmati
said Russia had taken steps to limit civilian casualties and develop
democracy in Chechnya "as good as anywhere in Russia." He added that if
the situation in the republic didn't worsen, Chechnya could hold its
elections in December with the rest of Russia. "The rebels have to
realize that they cannot get Russia to leave the republic," he said. "On
the other hand, the Russians have to see that if they don't make peace
with Dudaev, they will face years of guerrilla fighting which would
continue to destabilize the region." -- Michael Mihalka, OMRI, Inc.
SLOVAKIA'S RULING PARTY TO MEET ETHNIC HUNGARIANS. Narodna obroda on 16
June reports that the ruling Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS)
has sent letters to the three parties representing the Hungarian
minority in the parliament requesting discussions on Slovakia's
political situation. Hungarian Civic Party Chairman Laszlo Nagy said his
party offered to hold talks with the HZDS in January and has been
waiting for an answer ever since. He recommended that discussions focus
on problems in Slovakia's democratic development and strengthening of
executive power, financing of Hungarian culture and press, Hungarian
education, and preparations for a law on the state language. Meanwhile,
Foreign Minister Juraj Schenk said the first item on the agenda of the
next session of the parliament will be the ratification of the Council
of Europe framework agreement on ethnic minorities. This will create
conditions for the ratification of the Slovak-Hungarian treaty. --
Sharon Fisher , OMRI, Inc.
ROMANIAN PRESIDENT DISCUSSES EDUCATION LAW WITH HUNGARIAN PREMIER.
Hungarian Prime Minister Gyula Horn, in a telephone conversation with
Romanian President Ion Iliescu on 15 June, expressed concern over the
adoption by Romania's Senate the previous day of an education bill,
Radio Bucharest reported. Horn said the law was contrary to European
norms. Iliescu replied that the new legislation had still to be approved
by the parliament's other chamber, adding that he had no prerogatives to
intervene in parliamentary procedures. Horn also commented that at talks
over the basic Hungarian-Romanian treaty beginning in Bucharest on 19
June, an agreement such as that between Hungary and Slovakia could be
reached if the political will existed. According to a communique issued
by the Romanian Presidency, Iliescu shared Horn's optimism. -- Dan
Ionescu, OMRI, Inc.
[As of 1200 CET]
Compiled by Victor Gomez
Compiled by Jan Cleave
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A tovabbterjesztest a New York-i szekhelyu Magyar Emberi Jogok
Alapitvany tamogatja.
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Reposting is supported by Hungarian Human Rights Foundation News
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Friday, 16 June 1995
Volume 2, Issue 116
REGIONAL NEWS
-------------
**OBSERVERS SAY RUSSIAN BRUTALITY DECREASING**
The Hungarian envoy of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, said yesterday that Russian
behavior in Chechnya has improved. Istvan Gyarmati said
Russia is trying to reduce civilian casualties in the fighting
to reestablish control over Chechnya, and is establishing a
democracy in Chechnya. Gyarmati said there are now eight or
nine political parties, including separatists, operating
freely in Chechnya. Gyarmati added that the situation has
dramatically improved since March, when he accused Russian
troops of going on a campaign of rape, murder and intimidation
against Chechen civilians. Gyarmati said the next task for
Russia is to organize free and fair elections. Gyarmati
thinks it would make sense to hold the Chechen vote when
Russia goes to the polls in December.
**OLYMPIC SITE DECIDED TODAY IN BUDAPEST**
Hungary is hoping to benefit from a meeting of the
International Olympic Committee, or IOC, which has been held
in Budapest all week. Hungarian officials said hosting the
committee will put Hungary on the sporting map and set the
stage for big international competitions there later. The
highlight of the meeting comes today when the IOC decides on a
site for the 2002 Winter Olympics. Four cities are in the
running : Quebec City, Salt Lake City, Ostersund, Sweden, and
Sion Switzerland. The competition is fierce because the
Olympics bring prestige as well as lots of economic benefits.
Over the past few days the cities have been lobbying the 92
IOC members at the meeting. An Olympic evaluation team has
given Salt Lake City's facilities the highest technical marks
and most observers believe the city will win the bid. Still,
Salt Lake City Mayor Deedee Corradini isn't taking any
chances.
"I am cautiously optimistic. But one never knows. There are
four very strong cities here. Everyone is working very hard
and we have to keep working hard right until the end."
The cities will make final presentations to the IOC today, just
hours before the vote, which will be held at about 5:30
tonight. --David Fink
**ROMANIAN-HUNGARIAN LINES OF COMMUNICATION OPEN**
Romanian President Ion Iliescu and Hungarian Prime Minister
Gyula Horn spoke on the telephone yesterday, after apparent
progress on the minority rights issue which is holding up the
signing of a basic treaty between the two countries. Iliescu's
spokesman said Horn called Iliescu ahead of a fresh round of
talks on the treaty in Bucharest Monday. The main sticking
point on the issue of rights for the one and a half million
ethnic Hungarians in Romania concerns Bucharest's refusal to
include a Council of Europe recommendation on minority rights.
Romania said it could be a platform for demands for autonomy.
ANALYSIS
--------
**CANADA'S CONSCIENTIOUS CONTRIBUTIONS TO CENTRAL EUROPE**
By Nancy Marshall
Canada has invested more than $1 billion in central Europe
since 1989. Among the projects Canadians are involved in:
building a new airport terminal in Hungary, participating in
the reorganization of the Polish steel industry and helping
clean up the Czech Republic's environment. Canada's Deputy
Prime Minister, Sheila Copps, said most Canadian investment is
going to the Czech Republic right now.
Copps: We've had a long term aid and capacity building
relationship with Hungary and with Poland, but I think the
largest measure of private investment has, in fact, come to
the Czech Republic. Partly that may be because the former
Czech citizens who came to Canada tend to have been
entrepreneurial in Canada and then returned that to their
native country.
CET: Why is central Europe an attractive place for Canadians
to invest? You have a lot of former central Europeans who are
now living in Canada. Is there any other reason why the area
is attractive?
Copps: In terms of capacity for growth, obviously the GDP of
most of the central and east European countries started very
small and is growing rapidly. The interest they have in the
association with western consumer goods, western materials
through television obviously makes them a very attractive
marketplace. And from our perspective, two of the big areas
of growth for Canada include the telecommunications industry,
where we have actually had a long and successful record and
also in mass transportation. Mass transportation is a key
component in developing infrastructure in newly emerging
democracies. They need to be able to communicate rapidly and
they also need to be able to get around. Those are 2 areas of
our expertise. The third area, and one that I'm more directly
involved with, is in the whole area of environmental
technologies. Because they've had an industrialized economy,
but largely industrialization with few environmental
safeguards, these countries are now looking at those
safeguards and that opens the door for lots of opportunities
for companies that have done cleanups in Canada or built in
technology and are now looking to export that.
CET: Aren't a lot of central European countries seeing that
environmental cleanup as luxury that they can't afford right
now?
Copps: Yes, but, for example, when the Polish government
signed on the debt restructuring program with the
International Monetary Fund it was also done on the condition
that when they rationalize, for example, the steel industry,
that a certain percentage of that investment be set aside for
environmental technologies. I think they understand that if
you can build in new technologies and prevent pollution that's
a lot cheaper than trying to do the cleanup. And in that
sense certainly there is a market for international
environmental technologies.
ABOUT CET ON-LINE
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A tovabbterjesztest a New York-i szekhelyu Magyar Emberi Jogok
Alapitvany tamogatja.
[*] [*] [*] [*] [*][*] [*][*][*]
[*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*]
[*][*][*] [*][*][*] [*][*] [*][*]
[*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*]
[*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*]
Reposting is supported by Hungarian Human Rights Foundation News
and Information Service.
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