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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol 2, No. 24, 5 February 1998

POLAND'S INTEGRATION PROCEEDING 'SMOOTHLY.' German Foreign Minister Klaus
Kinkel told Polish Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek in Bonn on 4 February that
preparations for Poland's entry into NATO are developing "quickly and
smoothly." Kinkel added that his government will push for swift
ratification in the Bundestag of Poland's application to join NATO. Earlier
this week, Denmark and Canada approved the applications of Poland, Hungary,
and the Czech Republic to join the alliance. The German and Polish sides
also agreed to expedite customs procedures at border crossings. Germany is
Poland's leading trade partner. PB

SLOVAKIA, HUNGARY DISCUSS MILITARY COOPERATION. Defense Minister Jan Sitek
and his Hungarian counterpart, Gyorgy Keleti,  met in Bratislava on 4
February and signed agreements on confidence-building measures, including
cooperation in military aviation and anti-aircraft defense. Keleti said he
believes "Slovakia will soon be ready to join NATO," CTK reported. MS

HUNGARIAN NEO-NAZI RECEIVES SUSPENDED JAIL TERM. The Supreme Court on 4
February sentenced Albert Szabo, the leader of the far-right Hungarian
Welfare Federation, to a one-year suspended prison term  for incitement
against the Jewish community in an October 1996 speech. Szabo, who was also
put on probation for  three years, said his speech depicted the reality in
Hungary and was not intended to stir up anti-Semitic sentiments. He said he
made a distinction between Zionists and Hungarian Jews, calling the latter
"my compatriots." MSZ

ITALIAN-SLOVENIAN COMPENSATION DISPUTE OVER? Frlec, his Italian counterpart
Lamberto Dini, and Hungarian Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs agreed in Brdo
pri Kranju on 4 February that a proposed trilateral peacekeeping unit could
be set up within three months and be sent to Bosnia when SFOR's mandate
runs out in June. Dini later said the three countries must "harmonize
[their] activities so that [they] can limit illegal immigration." He added
that Italy has agreed to accept money from special funds set up years ago
by Croatia and Slovenia to compensate Italians who fled those two republics
in the wake of World War Two. Dini stressed that Rome wants to "put the
property question behind it" and move on to European integration. PM


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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol 2, No. 25, 6 February 1998

HUNGARIAN COALITION DIVIDED OVER GABCIKOVO-NAGYMAROS COMPROMISE. The
Alliance of Free Democrats (ZSDZS), the junior coalition partner in the
Hungarian government,  is opposed to the Socialist Party's proposal for
solving the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros dispute with Slovakia, Hungarian media
reported on 5 February.  The same day, the Socialist majority in the
cabinet approved the principles of an agreement whereby the Hungarian side
would build a dam, either at the original site at Nagymaros or at
Pilismarot, and the two countries would drop compensation claims against
each other. Government spokesman Elemer Kiss said the costs of building
either site would probably have to be met by Hungary alone. Studies show
that building a dam at Nagymaros would cost $600 million and at Pilismarot
some $1 billion. Interior Minister Gabor Kuncze of the ZSDZS has requested
that the coalition's  Coordination Council meet to debate the issue. MS

KARADZIC ARREST WARRANT STILL VALID. A spokesman for the Hague-based
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia said in Sarajevo
on 5 February that the court "expects that if [indicted war criminal
Radovan Karadzic]  travels outside the Republika Srpska, he will be
immediately arrested and transferred to The Hague." The spokesman added
that the court "would like to put on record that there is an outstanding
international arrest warrant for Karadzic." Reports appear from time to
time in the former Yugoslav and international media that Karadzic has left
Bosnian Serb territory for destinations that have included Montenegro,
Slovenia, Hungary, Greece, and Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry
recently denied Belgrade press reports that Karadzic has gone into exile in
Russia. PM

VAN DER STOEL IN ROMANIA. European Commissioner on National Minorities Max
van der Stoel  on 4 February met with George Pruteanu and Anghel Stanciu,
the chairmen of the bicameral parliament's education commissions, both of
whom are opposed to amendments to the 1995 education law proposed by the
government and supported by the Democratic Federation of Romania (HDFR).
Last December, the Senate passed a version of the amended law that failed
to meet the Hungarians' demands.  Pruteanu said Van der Stoel told him that
under international law, Romania is not obliged to set up universities
teaching in national minority languages. In related news, Democratic
Convention Chairman Ion Diaconescu said on 4 February that the convention
will respect its promises to the  HDFR, including those on the education
law. MS

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