From: FEKETE@bcvms.bc.edu (Zoli Fekete)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.magyar
Subject: AGORA-SCMPOST RFE/RL Daily Report 09 NOV, 1992 (excerpts)
Date: 9 Nov 1992 17:12:27 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
Reply-To: fekete@bcvms.bc.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

YELTSIN TO VISIT IMRE NAGY'S GRAVE. Before his visits to England
and Hungary next week, Russian President Boris Yeltsin gave an
interview to the Russian correspondent of Radio Budapest. In the
interview, broadcast on 5 November, Yeltsin said that Russia was
lagging behind in the reestablishment of relations with the
countries of Eastern Europe.  Hungary was an exception insofar as
a comprehensive agreement had already been reached on 3 December
1991 and followed by a basic treaty.  Yeltsin admitted that many
questions remained open and that he would try to settle some of
them during his visit to Hungary on 10 November.  Yeltsin said
that all the documents kept in Russian archives about the 1956
revolution would be returned to Hungary.  He pledged to visit what
he called "three 1956 cemeteries", among them the grave of Imre
Nagy and those of the Russian soldiers.  He said that he would try
to settle questions of the countries' mutual debts.  He called for
more agricultural cooperation and said that the West could help by
buying Hungarian agricultural products for Russia.  (Judith
Pataki, RFE/RL, Inc.)
 
POLITICAL STALEMATE OVER HUNGARIAN MEDIA CONTINUES.  Prime
Minister Jozsef Antall's attempt to appoint new vice presidents to
head Hungarian Television and Hungarian Radio was defeated on 6
November, MTI reported.  Parliament's Cultural Committee failed to
endorse the two new appointees by a two-thirds majority and
President Arpad Goncz refused to back the appointments.  The main
opposition party, the Association of Free Democrats, supported the
President's refusal. (Karoly Okolicsanyi, RFE/RL, Inc.)
 
HUNGARY SENTENCES YUGOSLAV SPY TO TEN YEARS.  The Metropolitan
Court's Military Council in Budapest sentenced ensign Rudolf
Szanto to ten years in jail for spying for Yugoslavia in the
1980s, MTI said on 6 November. Szanto sent military information
about the Soviet and Hungarian military to Belgrade in exchange
for small amounts of hard currency and free vacations.  He was
arrested in January 1991. (Karoly Okolicsanyi, RFE/RL, Inc.)
 
HUNGARY TO STRESS RESERVE MILITARY FORCE. Defense Minister Lajos
Fur said at a Budapest conference of the European Military Press
Association that Hungary will emphasize the organization and
training of reserve forces in conjunction with its overall force
reduction, MTI reported on 6 November. Fur said that in the next
couple of years, 12 to 14 territorial army units will be
established, based on Swiss and Austrian militia models.  The
first reserve unit started its military training last week.
(Karoly Okolicsanyi, RFE/RL, Inc.)
 
EC CALLS ON CZECHOSLOVAKIA TO TEMPORARILY HALT CONSTRUCTION AT
GABCIKOVO.  The European Community called on Czechoslovakia to
temporarily stop construction on the controversial hydroelectric
dam project on the Danube, Reuters reported on 6 November. The EC
Commission, which has been mediating the dispute over the dam
between Hungary and Czechoslovakia, said that work should go on
for now to avert the risk of flooding, but should stop on 21
November. Czechoslovakia will respect the EC's decision,
Czechoslovak Deputy Foreign Minister Zdenko Pirek told reporters
in Brussels.  The EC Commission is sponsoring a thorough study of
the project's environmental and sociological impact and
specialists of several countries are to meet in Brussels on 15
November to discuss the its findings.  (Jan Obrman, RFE/RL, Inc.)