OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 249, 27 December 1995

HUNGARY EASES CURRENCY RESTRICTIONS. The Hungarian government has
relaxed the rules restricting the amount of currency that travellers can
take abroad, international media reported on 22 December. The previous
annual limit of $800 was raised to 200,000 forints ($1,430), according
to reports. The decision followed parliamentary approval in November of
a new currency law, the latest step towards making the forint fully
convertible. -- Steve Kettle

SERBIAN OPPOSITION UNITY DEVELOPMENTS. Delegates from five opposition
parties--the Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO), the Serbian Radical Party
(SRS), the Democratic Party (DS), the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS),
and the Democratic Community of Hungarians in Vojvodina -- met on 26
December for the first sitting of what has been dubbed "the parallel
parliament" for Serbia, Nasa Borba reported on 27 December. This appears
to be the latest in a series of moves aimed at opposition cooperation.
On 26 December Nasa Borba reported that on the previous day the
republic's legislature passed its budget for 1996, with only the
governing Socialist Party of Serbia delegates, their opposition New
Democracy allies and several breakaway members of the SRS (now the
Radical Party 'Nikola Pasic') supporting and debating the legislation.
Members of the five aforementioned opposition parties boycotted,
objecting to a government ban on television coverage of the legislature,
and to government business being conducted "on the day of the great
Christian holiday--Catholic Christmas." -- Stan Markotich

[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Pete Baumgartner