RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol 2, No. 206, 23 October 1998

DZURINDA REPORTS PROGRESS IN SLOVAK COALITION TALKS.
Mikulas Dzurinda, the chairman of the Slovak Democratic
Coalition and leading candidate to become prime
minister, said on 22 October that progress has been made
in negotiations to form the new government, TASR
reported. Dzurinda said "we are approaching a complex
agreement...based on the results of the parliamentary
elections." Dzurinda said the four parties have agreed
to finalize an agreement by 27 October. In other news,
Agriculture Minister Peter Baco said that naming a
member of the Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) to head
his ministry would be "a risk Slovakia cannot afford to
take." There have been reports that the SMK will be
offered the agriculture portfolio. PB

HUNGARY WELCOMES TURKISH APPROVAL OF NATO EXPANSION. The
Hungarian Foreign Ministry has praised the Turkish
parliament's 21 October ratification of Hungary's
accession to NATO, MTI reported. Foreign Ministry
spokesman Gabor Horvath said the Turkish approval has
special significance because Hungary is seeking to join
NATO's Southern Command, where "cooperation between the
two countries will be instrumental." Hungarian President
Arpad Goencz is due in Ankara next week for the 75th
anniversary of the Republic of Turkey. The Netherlands
is the only NATO member country that has not yet
ratified expansion to include Poland, the Czech
Republic, and Hungary. PB


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