NEWSLETTER
Republic of Hungary Budapest, 1394 . 423
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Telephone:36(1)156-8000
456/1994.
Budapest, September 07, 1994
_______________________________________________________
German-Language Weekly Launched in Budapest
Budapest, September 6 (MTI) - WITH the Neuer Pester
Lloyd just launched in Budapest, the capital has a
German-language weekly again. Editor-in-chief Gotthard
Schicker introduced the paper to the press on Tuesday,
pointing out that it is based on the traditions of the
legendary Pester Lloyd, issued between 1854 and 1944.
The Neuer Pester Lloyd defined itself as an
economically and politically independent, liberal and
pluralist paper, whose task is to provide information to
Hungary's 20,000-member German-speaking community.
The weekly, which is also distributed to
German-speaking countries, will be issued in 10,000
copies in the first months.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Praises South Africa's
Efforts in Settling Minority Issues
Budapest, September 6 (MTI) - HUNGARIAN Foreign
Minister Laszlo Kovacs will attend a program entitled
"To Freedom Via Hungary", organized by the Adenauer
Foundation, in Berlin on September 8. On September 12,
Kovacs will travel to Potsdam to be present at the Ebert
Foundation's conference, also held to commemorate the
opening of Austrian-Hungarian borders for East German
refugees five years ago, foreign affairs spokesman Gabor
Szentivanyi told the press on Tuesday.
South African Foreign Minister Alfred Baphethouoxolo
Nzo will visit Hungary between September 8 and 11. He
and Kovacs will speak about Hungary's presence and
interests in South Africa. They are also to cover ethnic
problems, a concern for African countries as well,
Szentivanyi continued.
Hungary deems South African efforts made in settling
minority issues by constitutional means trail-blazing
not only for African countries, but also for the rest
of the world. Hungary believes South Africa could
become the engine of economic transformation in the
whole of the South African region. Hungary is ready
to extend its links with this area, and in this way help
the development of the region, Szentivanyi said.
Budapest to Host CSCE Revisional Forum and CSCE
Summit
Budapest, September 6 (MTI) - AT the usual weekly
press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
CSCE Revisional Conference Executive Secretary Dezso
Horvath summed up preparatory work for the for the
revisional conference to be held on October 10, and for
the following summit.
He stressed the programs will enjoy wide publicity.
The revisional forum of the Conference on Security and
Cooperation in Europe, decided to be hosted by Hungary
in Helsinki in 1992, will operate in four major teams.
These will discuss the CSCE's conflict-preventing and
crisis-managing role, the function of the CSCE's
Vienna-based institutions, the realization of human
rights, as well as economic and environment protection
problems.
As soon as the summit starts, Hungary will take over
the CSCE's rotating presidency for a year.
Irish Political Forces Support Hungary's EU
membership - Speaker of Irish Senate Says
Budapest, Sep. 9 (MTI) - THE VISITING delegation of
the Irish Senate and parliamentary committee, staying
here at the invitation of the Speaker of the Hungarian
Parliament, Tuesday afternoon held talks with members of
the foreign affairs committee in Parliament, Matyas
Eorsi, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, told
MTI.
Hungary's application to join the European Union was
discussed at the meeting which lasted over an hour.
Sean Fallon, speaker of the Irish Senate, said there
were no political forces in Ireland that did not support
Hungary's full membership, although they were aware
of the serious rivalry represented by Hungarian
agricultural and industrial products.
At the same time Fallon said he saw great
opportunities for investments in Hungary and the East
European region.
X X X
NEWSLETTER
Republic of Hungary Budapest, 1394 . 423
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Telephone:36(1)156-8000
456/1994. Budapest, September 08, 1994
> --------------------------------------------------------
Hungarian and Turkish Foreign Ministers Meet
Budapest, September 7 (MTI) - FOREIGN Minister Laszlo
Kovacs held an hour-long discussion this morning with his
Turkish counterpart, Mumtaz Soysal, who has been in
Budapest since Monday accompanying President Suleyman
Demirel.
Hungary's foreign policy priorities, bilateral links
and international questions figured on the agenda of
talks, foreign affairs spokesman Gabor Szentivanyi told
MTI.
Both sides voiced their readiness to boost bilateral
ties in many different ways and place foreign affairs
consultations on a more regular basis.
The Turkish foreign minister invited Kovacs to
officially visit his country.
The Hungarian side at the talks voiced appreciation
for Turkish support in its bid to come closer to NATO,
and at international forums in matters concerning the
ethnic Hungarian community of Vojvodina.
Mutual readiness was expressed to sign a free-trade
agreement. The Turkish side outlined possibilities for
Hungarian economic and commercial participation in
expanding the thermoelectric power station of Kangali,
and in the development of southeast Anatolia. Details are
to be clarified through coordination between the relevant
ministries.
Hungarian Prime Minister to Vienna Conference on
Infrastructure
Budapest, September 7 (MTI) - AUSTRIAN Federal
Chancellor Franz Vranitzky and Hungarian Prime Minister
Gyula Horn's lectures opened Wednesday's one-day
conference in Vienna on possible help from Austria in
approaching Hungarian transport and telecommunication
systems to advanced western technologies.
Austria's European Union (EU) membership brings a new
quality to bilateral relations, which might accelerate
Hungary's admission to the EU, which is a prime
goal of the government, Horn told the conference.
Regarding the requirements the EU sets for members-to-be,
Horn said Hungary has provided opportunities for direct
investments, and is ready to follow the path Austria has
taken.
Horn said the private sector is gaining increasing
ground in Hungary. It is vital for Hungary to liberalize
trade and have direct investments. The government must
take tough and unpopular steps in order to create a
market economy, yet even so Hungary needs help to meet
all conditions required for EU membership.
Horn said Hungary proposes the principle of asymmetry
be employed, i.e. trade partners should dismantle certain
barriers and thus speed up the change of structure.
Austria could ease Hungary's burdens stemming from
unemployment and agriculture, also by sharing its
experience with Hungary. The EU's projects do not cover
the East Central European region yet, therefore it is
important to bring future projects in the region in line
with EU plans, the Hungarian prime minister said.
EU Should Differentiate Between Associate Members, Horn
Says
Vienna, September 7 (MTI) - HUNGARY has met the
political requirements for admission to the European
union, Hungarian Prime Minister Gyula Horn said at
the press conference he held with Federal Chancellor
Franz Vranitzky at the chancellor's office in Vienna. It
is the transformation of the economy that causes
major problems, in which Hungary hopes for help from
Austria, Horn continued. He said Brussels should consider
faster admission for those associate member states which
meet requirements ahead the others, adding that Hungary's
position is promising in this respect.
The two government heads concluded their one-hour
tete-a-tete meeting with a statement in which Austria
expresses its readiness to help Hungary in linking its
energy management, industry, transport,telecommunication,
water management and environment protection systems to
western European ones. This help will include planning,
assessments, studies on feasibility, and expertise.
Furthermore, Austria will provide counseling on favorable
forms of financing these projects.
In the statement, the two countries" governments
prompt EU and OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development) member- state governments, the EU, and
international monetary institutions to partake in the
realization of infrastructure projects by financing or
promoting them in other ways.
Horn said that trail-blazing Austrian-Hungarian
relations unite the major endeavors of Hungary's foreign
policy: western orientation, tightening links with
neighbouring countries, and with countries comprising a
Hungarian minority.
Horn announced at the press conference that a
committee of experts will be set up to continually
monitor the effects Austria's EU membership has on
bilateral links, and to report if any problem occurs.
Horn called attention to the importance of the
Hungary-Austria Gasleitung gas pipeline, which will link
Hungary to the western European gas pipes network.
After a gala dinner given by Vranitzky in honor of
Horn, the Hungarian prime minister met Federal President
Thomas Klestil.
Hungarian-Slovak Cultural Accord
Bratislava, Sept, 7 (MTI) - HUNGARIAN Minister of
Culture and Public Education Gabor Fodor signed a
two-year agreement of cultural cooperation with his
Slovak counterpart Lubo Roman here today.
Fodor also met Slovak Minister of School Affairs
Lubomir Harach.
"We have managed to make a move forward toward shaping
good relations by concluding this cultural agreement. We
shall see what follows next. I would like to see
substantial and serious cultural cooperation materialize
in the wake of this agreement.
"I would also like to sign a similar educational
agreement with neighbouring Slovakia within the
foreseeable future," Fodor told MTI.
Fodor proposed that the two ministries of education
establish a joint commission to survey contentious issues
such as alternative education and the training of
Hungarian teachers in Slovakia.
The two ministers told a joint press conference here
today that during their talks they had raised an idea of
relaying the programme beamed by Slovak Television via
cable TV to ethnic Slovaks in Hungary - primarily to the
region of Bekescsaba.
Fodor also paid a visit to the Hungarian primary
school and grammar school in Bratislava where he spoke
with pupils and teachers about the role and importance
of education in the mother tongue.
The Hungarian minister was received by Roman Kovac,
the first Slovak deputy prime minister in the afternoon.
x x x
*********************************************************
NEWSLETTER
Republic of Hungary Budapest, 1394 . 423
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Telephone:36(1)156-8000
456/1994. Budapest,September 09,1994
> --------------------------------------------------------
International Conference on the Protection of Minorities
Budapest, September 8 (MTI) - THE state of ethnic
minorities in present-day Europe is one of the greatest
current problems, said Professor George Brunner, a
member of the International Confederation of Jurists
(ICJ).
He was addressing a conference that opened, with the
participation of representatives of the 75 member
countries of the ICJ, in Budapest today.
During a lecture Brunner said that ethnic minorities
had a right to lingual and cultural autonomy in all
countries.
Several proposals and concepts have been worded to
comprise forms of autonomy, he noted, yet none can be
regarded as an exclusive solution.
Guaranteeing ethnic minority rights needs specific
guarantees at state and local levels alike.
Vilmos Msz ros, president of the Independent Forum of
Jurists, drew attention to the need for guarantees.
In outlining a national minority charter worked out by
the Hungarian jurist body he explained that settlement at
a state level established in the wake of bilateral
negotiations was not enough.
An ethnic minority problem is an issue for Europe as a
whole. Therefore, the cohesion of all European states is
necessary in finding a solution.
The conference will continue on Friday.
Hungarian Ministers of the Interior and Justice in
Berlin
Berlin, September 8 (MTI) - A COMMISSION coordinating
relations between the Hungarian and German interior
ministries, operating on a permanent basis, could
be set up later this year. At the same time, Germany
continues to actively assist the work of Hungarian police
and border guards, Hungarian Minister of the Interior
G bor Kuncze told journalists today in Berlin. Kuncze
spoke after holding talks with his German counterpart
Manfred Kanther.
Kuncze and Hungarian Minister of Justice P l Vastagh
took part in a conference of interior and justice
ministers from the member states of the European Union and
the six Central and Eastern European countries which hold
associate agreements with the EU.
Kuncze also met his Polish counterpart. There was a
slight narrowing in the differences on questions
concerning the Polish-Hungarian agreement on extradition
of illegal entries, according to Kuncze.
A meeting is to be held at expert level later this
month, while the agreement is likely to be signed in
October, the Hungarian interior minister told reporters.
For his part Vastagh emphasized that the state of
public and legal security of Hungary has been enhanced
regarding potential for full EU membership.
Vastagh held a separate meeting with his German
counterpart Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberg.
Vastagh said that Germany can continue to play a major
role in the future by transferring its experience and
advice in the formulation of Hungarian laws and
constitutional matters, while a supplementary
Hungarian-German agreement on extradition is also in the
works.
Government Resolutions Affect Ministries of Defense and
Culture
Budapest, September 8 (MTI) - THE government repealed a
January resolution on combining the Defense Ministry and
the Hungarian Armed Forces Headquarters, government
spokesperson Evelyn Forr" announced before the press after
the
government met today.
The measure, she added, will entail neither operative
nor financing consequences.
The government also amended the powers and authorities
of the minister of culture.
As a result, governmental duties involving youth,
church and science policies are to be transferred from the
Prime Minister's Office to the Ministry of Culture.
Supplementary Budget Completed, Economic Issues
Tackled at Government Meeting
Budapest, September 8 (MTI) - THE government has put
the final touches to a draft law on the supplementary
budget today, and is to submit it to Parliament.
Minister of Labor Magda Kov cs K"sa announced at a
press briefing the government decision enabling Parliament
to put the draft bill on its agenda next Monday, and begin
deliberations on it the following week.
The key goal of the supplementary budget is to ensure
that the budget deficit
does not exceed HUF 330 billion, approximately 7 per
cent of Hungary's GDP.
The government proposals were discussed early this week
by the Interest
Coordination Council, i.e. representatives of
government, employees, and employers.
The government subsequently modified its original
concept.
The lowest bracket of the value added tax will be
increased from 10 to 12 percent as of January 1, 1995, and
not from October 1, a move affecting the population.
The zero-VAT bracket of medicine remains unchanged,
while the spin-off effect of the forint devaluation will
not be asserted in medicine prices this year.
In an effort to encourage enterprise, the government
will propose tax allowances for production and
job-creating investments.
The government also decided to propose to Parliament an
8 per cent increase in pensions, to be retroactive from
January 1, 1994.
(A law on increasing pensions following a rise in real
wages is in force, but Parliament passed a ruling last
summer to the effect that due to the state of the budget,
pensions would only be raised from September, while
additional payments would be discussed at a later date.)
K"sa also said that in connection with the increase of
energy prices, the government pledged that the extent of
the increase planned for this autumn would remain in the
25-30 per cent bracket.
Meanwhile the government has set aside HUF 1.5 billion
to offset the effects of the rise.
* * *
Budapest, September 8 (MTI) - THE government also
pledged to make an effort to increase customs tariffs
imposed on agricultural produce and imported food,
possibly this year, to enhance the competitiveness of
Hungarian products.
The minister said the government had expressed a view
to raise the minimum age of female retirement. Any rise in
the age bracket can take place only in conjunction with
1995 legislative moves.
At present the female age for retirement is 55, and
that of males 60 in Hungary. Current suggestions indicate
the female retirement age would be raised to 58 or 60.
K"sa said she felt a gradual increase in the retirement
age was inevitable.
However, she feels that this decree cannot cover women who
were born in 1940. She also noted that retirement cannot
represent any financial disadvantage for those age
brackets who are first affected by such a move.
The government decided to establish a central wage
guarantee fund, and will submit a draft bill to Parliament
to this effect, requesting an exceptionally quick
procedure, K"sa added.
Isolated state funds will provide support for business
organizations now facing bankruptcy procedures, and
operating for at least six months, that do not have cash
on hand to provide severance pay to their employees.
x x x
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A tovabbterjesztest a New York-i szekhelyu Magyar Emberi Jogok
Alapitvany tamogatja.
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