RFE/RL NEWSLINE 
Vol. 1, No. 154, 6 November 1997

MORE DETAILS ON RUSSIAN REPAYMENT DEBT TO HUNGARY. Visiting
Hungarian Industry, Trade, and Tourism Minister Szabolcs Fazakas
said in Moscow on 5 November that Russia has agreed to store on its
territory for 20 years some 3,500 spent fuel rods from Hungary's
Paks nuclear power plant in partial repayment of Moscow's
outstanding debt, Hungarian media reported. Russian Deputy Prime
Minister Vladimir Bulgak said large-scale plans for the
transportation of Russian gas via Hungary and Austria to Italy have
been completed. Russia intends to participate in the joint production
of Hungarian Ikarus buses as well as in a tender to develop
Hungary's electricity system, he added. MSZ

NATO EXERCISES IN ROMANIA. Six NATO members states and six
participants in the Partnership for Peace program began a joint
peace-keeping exercise in the central Romania town of Sibiu on 5
November. The exercise, called "Cooperative Determination '97," will
end on 14 November. It involves 500 troops from the U.S., France,
Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Portugal, together with troops from
end on 14 November. It involves 500 troops from the U.S., France,
Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Portugal, together with troops from
Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Macedonia, Moldova, and Uzbekistan,
RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. MS

ROMANIAN COALITION STILL DIVIDED OVER EDUCATION LAW. A
joint commission set up by the National Peasant Party Christian
Democratic (PNTCD) and the Hungarian Democratic Federation of
Romania (UDMR) has failed to find a compromise solution to the draft
on amending the education law, Radio Bucharest reported on 6
November. It has postponed making a decision until the following
week. The commission was set up after the Senate's Commission on
Education, chaired by a PNTCD senator, voted to reintroduce
obligatory history and geography instruction in the Romanian
language. If a compromise solution is not found, the UDMR may leave
the coalition. In other news, the Party of Romanian National Unity
has expelled nine Targu Mures branch members who support
Gheorghe Funar. That move comes one day after Funar was expelled
from the party. MS

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