RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
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RFE/RL NEWSLINE  7 December 1999

HUNGARIAN ECONOMICS, CULTURE MINISTERS TO BE REPLACED. Within
the next few days, Prime Minister Viktor Orban is expected to
replace Economics Minister Attila Chikan with Gyorgy Matolcsy
and Culture Minister Jozsef Hamori with Zoltan Rockenbauer,
"Nepszabadsag" reported on 7 December, citing unidentified
government sources. Matolcsy is the author of the major
coalition party FIDESZ's economic program, while Rockenbauer
is the foreign affairs and security state secretary at the
Prime Minister's Office. Jozsef Torgyan, chairman of the
junior governing coalition member Independent Smallholders'
Party, said no ministers belonging to his party are expected
to be replaced this year. MSZ

ROMANIAN RAILWAY STRIKE CONTINUES. After three hours of talks
on 6 December, striking railway workers failed to find common
ground with railway management on ending a strike, Rompres
reported. The action began on 6 December after unions
rejected an offer of a 20 percent wage increase from
Transportation Minister Traian Basescu (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 6 December 1999). Basescu has reportedly ordered
the Romanian Airlines Tarom to provide air transport to
railway travelers, saying the company would receive
compensation from the state that was originally earmarked for
the railways, according to Hungarian Radio. VG

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