Friday, 15 September 1995
Volume 2, Issue 179
REGIONAL NEWS
-------------
**HUNGARIAN AIR FORCE TRAGEDY**
Hungary has suspended flights of its MiG-23 and Su-22 fighters.
The suspension yesterday came after two of those aircraft
crashed Wednesday night. The two pilots of a MiG-23 which
crashed, died. The Su-22's pilot was able to eject from his
plane. He's now in the hospital with broken vertebra. The
accidents happened on the same day the Hungarian government
signed an agreement with Sweden's Investor group about the
possible purchase of 30 Gripen fighters and their operating
systems in a $1 billion deal.
ABOUT CET ON-LINE
-----------------
* CET On-Line is Copyright (c) 1995 Word Up! Inc., New Media
Group, all rights reserved. Not-for-profit redistribution of
CET On-Line in electronic format is allowed only if our
copyright notice, and all other copyright and by-line
information contained in this publication is included.
For-profit distribution of this publication or the information
contained herein is strictly prohibited without the express
written permission of Word Up! Inc., New Media Group. These
conditions are subject to change without notice. For further
information, contact Zoltan Nagy at  >
Some portions of the news provided by special agreement with
Reuters. For information on Reuters news and information
products, contact your local Reuters office.
* All "Letters to the Editor" and other comments about
editorial content should be directed to Duncan Shiels at
 >. Any comments about distribution or
production should be directed to Zoltan Nagy at
 >.
**CET On-Line** is a Word Up! Inc., New Media Group
Publication. The New Media Group also publishes the Prague
Financial Monitor on-line. For more information on the Prague
FM, send a message with the word INFO in the body of a message
to  >.
For a copy of the latest issue of the Prague Financial Monitor,
send a blank e-mail message to  >.
**Subscription Information**
CET On-Line is a free e-publication. Subscribe by sending a
message with the word SUBSCRIBE in the body of a message to
 >. For an automated information
response, send a blank message to  >.
To unsubscribe at any time, send the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body,
not the subject line, of a message to  >.
For a copy of the latest issue of CET On-Line, simply send a blank
e-mail message to  >.
|
N E W S L E T T E R
from the Daily Bulletin of the Hungarian News Agency MTI
distributed by the Department for Press and International Information
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Hungary
H-1394, Budapest P.O.B. 423.
Telephone: 36 (1) 156-8000
Telefax: 36 (1) 156-3801
No. 169 11 September 1995
OSCE Consultations in Zagreb
Zagreb, September 8 (MTI) - Several days of consultations were
held in
Zagreb on the role the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) could play
in Croatia.
Representing OSCE Chairman-in-Office Laszlo Kovacs, deputy envoy
Istvan Szabo
had talks with
representatives of UNCRO (U.N. forces in Croatia), the United Nations
High
Commissioner for
Refugees, the EU Observer Mission and local OSCE missions.
Previously, on Wednesday, Hungarian Ambassador and OSCE envoy
Istvan
Gyarmati had
discussions with Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic and
presidential cabinet
chief Hrvoje Sharinic.
This weekend, Gyarmati will pay a visit to the region of Knin,
from
where the local Serb
population fled during the Croatian military attack.
Referring to his discussions in Zagreb, Szabo said he had noticed a
readiness to
cooperate everywhere
and a fact-finding mission was now being prepared.
Regarding the role of the OSCE, he said the mandate of U.N.
forces in
Croatia would expire in
November, after which they would carry out limited tasks.
However, the OSCE could carry out crisis-management duties,
assist in
resolving human rights
and minority problems, which are particularly important here, where
huge ethnic
changes have taken
place, Szabo said.
It was also suggested at the talks that a mixed,
Croatian-Serb-Hungarian
public administration
could be formed in Eastern Slavonia, near Vukovar, during the period
of
transition, with possible OSCE
involvement, Szabo said. He added that the Russian U.N. soldiers in
the region
would probably be
replaced by Greek units.
New York Governor G. Pataki to Visit Hungary
New York, September 9 (MTI) - George Pataki, Governor of New
York State,
has announced
he would like to use his first official trip overseas starting on
September 22
to search for his relatives in
Hungary and Italy. He will be accompanied by his mother.
"I know I have a dozen of cousins there," the governor has
told
journalists.
During his week-long tour of Europe, Pataki wants to make
business links
useful for New York
State in areas such as tourism, investment and trade.
He said his trip would be financed by the Hungarian-American
and
Italian-American chambers
of commerce.
Defence Minister on Current Matters
Budapest, September 9 (MTI) - "Although the political tension
that has
emerged near Hungary's
southern borders also carries the danger of an armed conflict, none of
the
opposing sides threatens the
country," Defence Minister Gyorgy Keleti said at the oath-taking
ceremony of
Zrinyi Miklos artillery
brigade and the Baranya reconnaissance battalion in Pecs, southern
Hungary, on
Saturday.
The minister emphasized that the Hungarian armed forces are
able to
protect the country. The
related steps are considered justified also by Serbian and Croatian
military
leaders, who do not see such
actions as a power demonstration, he added.
He pointed out that the MiG-29 jet fighter regiment
commissioned in
Kecskemet considerably
strengthens the combat-readiness of the Hungarian air force, and
recalled the
agreement, under which
Russia will start the delivery of USD 240 million worth of military
technology
as early as this year.
Replying to a question from MTI's correspondent, the defence
minister
described President
Yeltsin's Friday remarks opposing the expansion of NATO as a home
policy
electoral message, and
stressed his conviction that Hungary's entry into the alliance will
not threaten
Russia's security.
OSCE Envoy in Knin
Zagreb, September 9 (MTI) - Ambassador Istvan Gyarmati,
personal envoy
of the chairman-in-
office of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE),
Hungarian Foreign Minister
Laszlo Kovacs, on Saturday paid a visit to Knin, the former seat of
Croatian
Serbs, which was occupied
by Croatian forces early last month and left virtually by the entire
Serb
population.
Gyarmati said the return of refugees should be arranged in
compliance
with OSCE principles.
While in Knin, the ambassador held talks with General Cermak,
commander
of the Knin military
district, and Knin government emissary Pasic.
Gyarmati said the OSCE was considering opening a mission in
the Knin
district and wanted to
help the refugees return.
There are about 800 Serb refugees still staying in the U.N.
camp in Knin,
and Akashi Jasusi,
envoy of the U.N. secretary-general, and Hrvoje Sarinic, head of the
Croatian
president's cabinet office,
today concluded a principal agreement on their free leaving.
Sarinic said the Serb refugees can leave some time next week
and Akashi
confirmed that persons
accused of war crimes would be called to account according to
international
legal norms. Croatian
sources said 62 persons are involved.
HSP and AFD Chairmen on the Coalition - TV
Budapest, September 10 (MTI) - The prime minister hopes that
1996 will
be the last year when
restrictive measures have to be taken, and that in 1997 and 1998
people will
feel the effect of the changes
in their everyday lives. Gyula Horn, chairman of the Hungarian
Socialist Party,
said this on the
television programme "The Week" on Sunday evening.
Ivan Peto, chairman and parliamentary group leader of the
coalition
partner, the Alliance of Free
Democrats (AFD), was also invited to the studio.
Horn stressed that a review of the government's work and
possible change
by no means imply
modification of the economic policy pursued so far.
He said the government does not court popularity. It would be
easier to
avoid unpopular steps,
but this would be irresponsibility towards the country, he added.
However, a left-wing politician finds it difficult to face the
impact
the measures of necessity
exert on certain groups of society. Therefore, the government would
like to pay
more attention to them,
while not giving up its economic policy principles, Horn said.
Peto noted there was agreement that these layers must not be
allowed to
get into an unjust
situation. At the same time, he warned that its inevitable loss of
popularity
should not induce the
government to make changes that would mean a step back from the
coalition
programme.
It was announced during the studio conversation that the
working groups
set up to close the
coalition debates will complete their task by September 20, after
which the
Coalition Coordination
Council and the leading bodies of the two parties will clarify the
moot points
of cooperation.
To the final reporter's question whether it can be stated
already now
that the coalition will stay
together, Horn said the HSP had not even thought of cancelling the
agreement.
He said he hoped that the talks would be successful and the
joint
government would continue.
Peto pointed out that "as long as there is a chance to achieve
the aims
set, the coalition will
remain stable".
OSCE Envoy Visits Osijek
Zagreb, September 10 (MTI) - "The Organization for Security
and
Cooperation in Europe has
the duty to help the peaceful reannexation of territories in Eastern
Slavonia
and Baranya to Croatia and to
protect democracy and human and minority rights," Ambassador Istvan
Gyarmati,
personal envoy of
OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Hungarian Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs,
said on
his visit to Osijek on
Sunday.
Lord Lieutenant Branimir Glavas informed Gyarmati on the
warlike
tribulations in Osijek.
On Saturday, the ambassador visited Knin to study the refugee
question
and the possibilities of
opening an OSCE mission there. Almost the entire Serb population fled
from Knin
and Krajina as a
whole during the Croatian attack in August.
|
