RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
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RFE/RL NEWSLINE  28 July 1999

HUNGARIAN AIR FORCE MODERNIZATION PLAN REVEALED. A plan
for modernizing the air force envisages the purchase of
fighter planes as well as upgrading the existing air
fleet, the daily "Napi Magyarorszag" reported on 26
July. The plan calls for the purchase of 30-32 Western-
made combat aircraft to replace MiG-21s and says that
AN-26s transport planes must be replaced with four to
six Western-made medium-size transport aircraft "within
a few years." Meanwhile, air force command, which
drafted the plan, expects NATO members to donate to
Hungary aircraft held in reserve owing to military cuts
or to sell them for a symbolic sum. MS

HUNGARIAN AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES U.S. POSITION ON
VOJVODINA AUTONOMY. Former Foreign Minister Geza
Jeszenszky, who is now ambassador to the U.S., told MTI
on 27 July that the U.S. government is "fully aware" of
the situation of ethnic Hungarians in Vojvodina but
believes that raising the issue of autonomy now will
make things difficult for the opposition in Yugoslavia.
Jeszenszky said it "has been clear throughout the
[Kosova] conflict that U.S. policy is to concentrate on
one problem at one time." He also said that the Serbian
opposition is not against the idea of an autonomous
Vojvodina where ethnic Hungarians would be granted
"adequate rights." MS

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RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
________________________________________________________
RFE/RL NEWSLINE  29 July 1999

SLOVAK PRESIDENT WANTS TO MEET HUNGARIAN COUNTERPART.
Rudolf Schuster on 28 July said that he hopes to meet
with Hungarian President Arpad Goncz "as soon as
possible," Hungarian media reported the next day.
Schuster said that both he and the Slovak government
have fulfilled electoral promises vis-a-vis the
country's Hungarian minority by approving the new law
on minority language use in contacts with the
authorities. He said he does not believe the ruling
coalition is facing a split. The Hungarian Coalition
Party has said it will "reconsider" its participation
in the coalition because the law does not meet some of
its demands. MS

HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE APPROVES NEW CHIEF
OF STAFF. Opposition representatives on the
parliament's Defense Committee walked out of a 28 July
extraordinary meeting after the pro-government
majority voted against a proposal to allow outgoing
Chief of Staff General Ferenc Vegh to present his
version of the events that led to his resignation (see
"RFE/RL Newsline, 9 July 1999). A report on those
events was presented by Defense Minister Janos Szabo,
Hungarian media reported. Vegh's successor, General
Lajos Fodor, outlined his proposals for reforming and
modernizing the armed forces. He said his priorities
are reducing bureaucracy and the number of senior
officers and creating a smaller and more mobile army.
The daily "Vilaggazdasag" reports on 29 July that the
army's budget is forecast to rise to 192.3 billion
forints (some $809 million) in 2000 from 134 billion
forints this year. MS

CHARGES AGAINST HUNGARIAN JOURNALIST DROPPED. Police
on 28 July said the criminal proceedings against
journalist Laszlo Juszt on suspicion of breaching
state secrets (see "RFE/RL Newsline, 4 June 1999) were
stopped after the Prosecutor-General's Office ruled
that Juszt had not broken any legislation. In his
magazine, "Kriminalis," Juszt had published materials
on the so-called "data-gathering case" against senior
FIDESZ officials. The journalist responded to the
ruling by announcing he will sue for compensation
since the investigation against him had forced the
magazine to cease publication. He said he will also
sue Hungarian Television, which had stopped his
popular program after the investigation was launched.
MS

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               Copyright (c) 1999 RFE/RL, Inc.
                     All rights reserved.
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