RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 2, No. 103, 1 June 1998

COALITION TALKS BEGIN IN HUNGARY. The Federation of Young
Democrats-Hungarian Civic Party (FIDESZ-MPP) on 29 May
offered the post of justice minister and a deputy
premiership to its election ally, the Hungarian Democratic
Forum (MDF), MTI reported. MDF deputy parliamentary faction
leader David Ibolya said his party is "satisfied" with the
offer. The same day, the Independent Smallholders re-elected
Joszef Torgyan as their chairman. Also on 29 May, the
Socialist Party elected outgoing Foreign Minister Laszlo
Kovacs as its faction leader. On 30 May the leader of the
Hungarian Democratic People's Party, Ivan Szabo, resigned
following his party's failure to gain representation in the
parliament. MS

ROMANIA'S ETHNIC HUNGARIANS DEMAND UNIVERSITY IN CLUJ. Bela
Marko, chairman of the Hungarian Democratic Federation of
Romania (UDMR), announced on 30 May that the UDMR will
submit to the parliament by 15 June a draft law for setting
up a separate Hungarian-language university in Cluj. Marko
said that the UDMR will "cease cooperation" with the other
coalition partners if government regulations nos. 22 and 36
are not amended to the satisfaction of the Hungarian
minority. Regulation 22, which allows for street signs in
minority languages, has been rejected by the Senate and the
Constitutional Court ruled that it contravened the basic
law. Regulation 36 changed the education law to satisfy
Hungarian demands but was amended by the Senate. Meanwhile,
on 31 May, Prime Minister Radu Vasile said he will invite
Viktor Orban, the likely future Hungarian premier, to pay a
visit to Romania. MS

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RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
___________________________________________________________
RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 2, No. 104, 2 June 1998

HUNGARY'S ORBAN ACCUSES PRESIDENT OF DELAYING CABINET
FORMATION. Federation of Young Democrats-Hungarian Civic
Party (FIDESZ-MPP) chairman Viktor Orban said on national
television on 31 May that "those who delay the formation of
the government are causing damage [totaling] several
billions of forints to the country." FIDESZ-MPP is ready to
govern the country, Orban said, adding that the formation of
the new cabinet is being held up by President Arpad Goncz,
who "has not yet asked" the leader of party that won the
elections to form the government. Imre Mecs, a deputy who
represented the Free Democrats in the outgoing parliament
and was chairman of the Defense Committee, told MTI that
Orban should refrain from statements that "offend the
president" and are "inconceivable in European political
life." MSZ

HUNGARIAN DEMAND FOR UNIVERSITY MEETS WITH HOSTILITY IN
ROMANIA. Minister of Education Andrei Marga on 1 June
rejected the Hungarian Democratic Federation in Romania's
(UDMR) demand for a Hungarian-language university in Cluj,
RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Marga said universities
"established on ethnic criteria" are likely to provoke an
increase in ethnic tensions. Democratic Convention of
Romania chairman Ion Diaconescu said he is "surprised" by
the demand of the UDMR because coalition members have agreed
that a Hungarian-language university will be set up in
another Transylvanian town. He pointed out that a Hungarian
section is already functioning at the Babes-Bolyai
university in Cluj. Democratic Party leader Petre Roman also
rejected the demand, saying he supports "multicultural"
universities instead. The opposition Party of Social
Democracy in Romania called on the government to reject the
"UDMR ultimatum." MS

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 Copyright (c) 1998 RFE/RL, Inc.
 All rights reserved.
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