RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 2, No. 174, 9 September 1998

MECIAR DENIES HUNGARIAN ALLEGATIONS. Slovak Prime
Minister Vladimir Meciar on 7 September denied recent
allegations in the Hungarian daily "Magyar Hirlap" that
he sent a "Meciar commando" to Budapest that carried out
the bomb attack on Bratislava businessman Tamas Boros on
2 July. Speaking on private Radio Duha, Meciar called
the allegations a "stupid and primitive lie" and added
he is "not surprised" that such "dirty things" are
possible in Hungary, CTK reported. In other news, former
Slovak President Michal Kovac, in a lecture to the
Batory Foundation in Warsaw on 7 September, said
Meciar's cabinet "distorts the law, violates the
constitution, ignores basic democratic principles,
abuses the secret services, and uses public television
for its ideological interests." MS

HUNGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ATTENDS EU TALKS. European
Union Commissioner Hans van den Broek told reporters
after meeting in Brussels with Hungarian Foreign
Minister Janos Martonyi that "there are no obstacles" to
the opening of accession talks between the EU and the
six "fast track" countries on 10 November, Hungarian
media reported on 9 September. Both Martonyi and Van den
Broek said the crisis in Russia will have a limited
impact on Hungary and the EU, as Hungary now is a
"completely European country." MSZ

ROMANIAN COALITION LEADERS FAIL TO COMPROMISE ON
HUNGARIAN UNIVERSITY. The leaders of the ruling
coalition parties have failed to reach an agreement that
would satisfy the Hungarian Democratic Federation of
Romania (UDMR)'s demands for university-level
instruction in the Hungarian language, RFE/RL's
Bucharest bureau reported on 8 September. They will meet
again on 14 September to discuss the issue. Prime
Minister Radu Vasile commented that he is "confident" a
compromise solution can be reached. UDMR chairman Marko
Bela said his party demands that the Chamber of
Deputies' Education Commission change the wording of the
provision prohibiting instruction in national minority
languages at university level. Observers say this may be
a hint that the UDMR is now ready to settle for the
amendment passed last year by the Senate allowing
private universities that teach in national minority
languages and "multicultural" universities. MS

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