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OMRI Daily Digest - 9 March 1995 (mind) |
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CET - 9 March 1995 (mind) |
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CET - 10 March 1995 (mind) |
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| + - | OMRI Daily Digest - 9 March 1995 (mind) |
VÁLASZ |
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OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 49, 9 March 1995
HUNGARIAN BUDGET DEFICIT. According to data released by the Finance
Ministry on 8 March, Hungary's budget deficit at the end of February
amounted to 83.6 billion forint or almost 30% of the year-end target,
MTI reports. A spokesman for the ministry warned that effective measures
are needed to prevent or cut the further growth of the deficit. He
pointed out that revenues totaled 168.5 billion forint, which was far
less than planned, while expenditures rose to 252.1 billion forint.
Revenues from privatization, which were expected to reach 25 billion
forint during the first two months of the year, did not materialize at
all, the spokesman said. Consumption-related revenues were half of the
two-month target, and net value-added tax revenues were only 0.4% of the
annual target. -- Edith Oltay, OMRI, Inc.
MELESCANU DISCUSSES ROMANIAN-HUNGARIAN TREATY WITH GOVERNMENT PARTNERS.
Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Teodor Melescanu on 8 March met with
Gheorghe Funar, chairman of the Party of Romanian National Unity, and
Adrian Paunescu, first deputy chairman of the Socialist Labor Party,
Radio Bucharest reported. Melescanu updated the two leaders on progress
toward concluding the basic treaty with Hungary. Funar told Romanian
Television that he opposed some of the draft's provisions. The daily
Ziua reported on 8 March that it was Funar who had leaked the draft to
the press one day earlier, to the dismay of both President Ion Iliescu
and the PSDR leadership. Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Mircea
Geoana told a press conference in Bucharest that leaking details on
negotiations went against diplomatic practice. After the 8 March
meeting, Melescanu informed the parliament's Foreign Relations
Commission that local autonomy could be granted to administrative
territories, including those inhabited by national minorities, within
the limits established by the Romanian Constitution. Greater Romania
Party leader Corneliu Vadim Tudor told the meeting he opposed any
mention of autonomy or of mutual "monitoring" of the treaty's
implementation. -- Michael Shafir, OMRI, Inc.
[As of 12:00 CET]
Compiled by Jan Cleave
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A tovabbterjesztest a New York-i szekhelyu Magyar Emberi Jogok
Alapitvany tamogatja.
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Reposting is supported by Hungarian Human Rights Foundation News
and Information Service.
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| + - | CET - 9 March 1995 (mind) |
VÁLASZ |
Feladó:  (cikkei)
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Thursday, 09 March 1995
Volume 2, Issue 49
REGIONAL NEWS
-------------
**HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSED IN HUNGARY SAY WATCHDOGS**
Hungarian human-rights groups claim that under Hungarian law,
immigrants, whether legal or not, are entitled to the same
rights as Hungarians, except the right to vote. But an
investigation by a consortium of human-rights organizations of
the Kistarcsa camp for illegal immigrants tells a different
story.
Human-rights activists appeared before Parliament's human-rights
committee yesterday and in a preliminary report, described the
Kistarcsa immigrant detention center as the greatest mass
violation of human rights in Hungary today. In their first
government-sanctioned visit to the camp last week, 50
representatives from three human-rights groups say they
discovered widespread problems, including poor hygiene and
medical care, psychological abuse and a failure to assist camp
detainees with legal paperwork. Some committee and government
officials say a lack of funding has caused most of the alleged
problems. But a spokesman for the human-rights groups blames
discrimination. Martin Ill is Executive Director of the
Center for Defense of Human Rights which manages the Martin
Luther King project.
"On an international level, this is the No. 1 complaint against
the Hungarian government, that institutionally they violate
the human rights of people, especially foreigners, especially
non-European foreigners."
The inspection of Kistarcsa by Ill's organization, as well as
the Hungarian Helsinki Council and the Veritas Foundation,
came on the heels of a January report by the Council of Europe
that called the camp deplorable. Ill thinks the shame
generated by that report prompted the government to finally
act.
"I see that they are ready to cooperate with human-rights
organizations, this is unique in east Europe and this is the
first time in such a military camp we've had access to all the
data we need. We got cooperation from police officers which
is unique in Hungary and has never happened before."
Ill hopes to capitalize on this spirit of cooperation and will
present a full report to the human-rights committee by March
31. The committee has also asked the Interior Ministry to
present its own report refuting the allegations. Ministry
officials responded to some of the charges yesterday, saying
the camp detainees share the same standard of living as
Hungarians. --Michael Jordan
**GAY COUPLES RECOGNIZED BY HUNGARIAN LAW**
Hungary's constitutional court has struck down a law which
barred recognition of common-law marriages among homosexuals,
effectively making Hungary the first East European nation to
extend traditional common-law rights to gay couples. The
court sent Hungary's current law on common-law marriages back
to Parliament, saying it should be changed or new legislatiion
should be enacted to extend common-law rights to gay couples
by March 1, 1996. Those rights include access to social
benefits. Yesterday's decision does not, however, give
homosexual couples the right to formal, civil marriages.
BUSINESS NEWS
-------------
**AMERITECH WILL SIT ON MATAV HOLDINGS FOR NOW**
Ameritech Chairman Richard Notebaert said yesterday his company
won't increase its stake in the Hungarian telephone company
Matav until Parliament passes a privatization law. Notebaert
says he told government officials, including Finance Minister
Lajos Bokros, that Ameritech remains committed to modernizing
Matav. He adds that Ameritech will provide the capital to do
it. Matav wants a lot of money for modernization. It
announced this week that it needs to borrow $575 million to
fulfill its plans for the next two years. Notebaert insists
the failed Hungarhotels privatization last November hasn't
soured Ameritech on Hungary.
"I would be unqualified to comment on what happened four months
ago becuase I was not part of it. But we are very satisfied
and pleased by the way we've been treated by the government
and we find this a very hospitable place to invest."
Notebaert says any future Ameritech investment in Matav would be
coordinated with partner Deutcshe Telekom. Ameritech and
Deutcshe Telekom together own about 30 percent of Matav.
--David Fink
SURVEY
------
**HUNGARIAN STATE OPERA SINGS A SAD FINANCIAL NOTE**
By Moyette Merritt
During the '60s and '70s, the Hungarian State Opera attracted
top international conductors and singers and was said to rival
the Opera House in Vienna. But those days are long gone.
Many of the top Hungarian stars have left for more lucrative
contracts abroad and critics say the State Opera and its two
facilities, the Opera House and the Erkel Theater, are facing
a financial and artisitic crisis.
The curtain rises on another performance of the Budapest State
Opera, but while the stage and costumes look lavish, behind
the scenes, all is far from well. Like many other Hungarian
institutions, the Opera House and the Erkel Theater are being
squeezed by declining subsidies and rising costs. Dr. Sandor
Venzcel is financial director of the Hungarian State Opera.
He says the government's annual subsidy of $11.5 million just
isn't enough and should be increased by at least 60 percent.
"The current financial situation is very, very bad. The state
subsidy has been reduced a lot in real terms and this is the
reason why we have recently had to raise ticket prices. The
profits from the opera sales are no longer enough for us to go
on."
But the cash-strapped Hungarian government says it can't afford
to increase subsidies, adding that the management of the State
Opera must do more to attract outside sponsorship. Peter
Nadori is in charge of music and dance at the Ministry of
Culture.
"The situation at the Opera House is interesting because the
present manager's appointment will end at the end of the year
and a new manager will have to be named. It will be his or
her duty to increase artisitic standards and solve the
financial problems as well."
Director Venczel says however, that artisitic standards will
only improve when Hungary can afford to compete with western
opera houses for top international talent.
"What the opera really lacks is money for guest stars to come
here, like famous conductors, singers and directors. We would
like to be in the international opera mainstream. We can go
abroad, for example. The ballet is in Hong Kong and Taiwan at
the moment and we also have performances in Germany, Greece
and Austria, but what we would really like to do is have
famous people playing in Budapest."
But that would be beyond the State Opera's budget. It can only
afford to pay its own top stars a maximum of $900 a month and
the rank and file earn a lot less. Even if salaries went up
by 50 percent, they'd still be less than half of what western
performers earn. Insiders like music director Geza Oberfrank,
say morale amongst the performers has hit an all-time low.
"The low wages are the main complaint of the employees. They
don't earn enough money to live on the same levels as western
opera performers and the ones who attain this level have to
work outside the opera. Taking other jobs is time consuming
and there is no guarantee that every night when the curtain
goes up, they will give their best. Also, a lot of our famous
singers and conductors will no longer play here and this is
another reason for the opera's decline."
In fact many of them have left to work abroad and the State
Opera can only afford to mount four new productions a year.
Although, donations have come from charitable organizations
like Friends of the Opera, Hungary's small affluent class
hasn't rushed to sponsor the Arts. So unless more private
companies start supplying funds, it looks like Hungary's State
Opera will continue to decline.
ABOUT CET ON-LINE
-----------------
* CET On-Line - copyright (c) 1995 Word Up! Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication may be freely forwarded, archived, or
otherwise distributed in electronic format only so long as
this notice, and all other information contained in this
publication is included. For-profit distribution of this
publication or the information contained herein is strictly
prohibited. For more information, contact the publishers.
*****************************************************************
A tovabbterjesztest a New York-i szekhelyu Magyar Emberi Jogok
Alapitvany tamogatja.
[*] [*] [*] [*] [*][*] [*][*][*]
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[*][*][*] [*][*][*] [*][*] [*][*]
[*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*]
[*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*]
Reposting is supported by Hungarian Human Rights Foundation News
and Information Service.
*****************************************************************
|
| + - | CET - 10 March 1995 (mind) |
VÁLASZ |
Feladó:  (cikkei)
|
Friday, 10 March 1995
Volume 2, Issue 50
REGIONAL NEWS
-------------
**HUNGARY SEIZES SMUGGLED ARMS**
Hungarian customs officials said yesterday they'd confiscated
large amounts of ammunition and explosives destined for the
former Yugoslavia through last year. Officers made a total of
45 seizures in 1994, capturing 30 pounds of explosives and
61,000 units of ammunition, according to customs Col. Janos
Nagy. Nagy insists, however, that the amount of war material
seized in Hungary is small compared to the scale of the
conflict, insisting that Hungary isn't a major transit route
for weapons heading south.
BUSINESS NEWS
-------------
**RUSSIA AND KAZAKHSTAN PASS GAS TO HUNGARY**
Kazakhstan and Russia have agreed to settle a debt to Hungary
over a 10 year-old contract for work on the giant Tengiz oil
field. But the debt won't be repaid with money. Hungarian
Prime Minister Gyula Horn, now on a visit to Kazakhstan,
worked out the debt repayment with Kazakhstan's Prime
Minister, Akezhan Kazegheldin. Horn told a news conference
yesterday that he and Kazegheldin have agreed that the debt
will be repaid with natural gas. The contract involved was
for engineering work on the Tengiz oil field. It was signed
in 1985 between the Soviet Union under the framework of the
Comecon trade bloc. Kazakhstan has agreed to deliver 1.4
billion cubic meters of gas and Russia will chip in about
three times as much. The Tengiz oil field has been taken over
by the Tengizchevroil joint venture, which includes the
Chevron Corporation. Chevron has pledged to invest $20
billion in Tengiz, but has had problems exporting oil across
Russian territory to markets in western Europe. --David Fink
**JAPAN TO FINANCE WORLD BANK DEBT STUDIES**
Japan plans to loan Hungary $735,000. It'll pay for studies of
Hungary's state finances, which are being required by the
World Bank, which is considering larger loans to help
Hungary's government reforms.
**FRIENDLY SKIES BETWEEN HUNGARY AND ITALY**
The Hungarian and Italian national airlines say they want to
open their skies to other carriers. The aim of Malev and
Alitalia is to increase competition on Hungarian-Italian
routes. Their current agreement gives the Malev-Alitalia
partnership exclusive flights between the two countries. For
Hungary, the changes include opening up new Italian
destinations to Malev.
**HUNGARIAN FIRM WANTS TO BUY OUT RETAIL STORE**
Hungary's Josephine Kft. wants to buy out all shares in the
country's Sztrada-Skala department store. Josephine is
already a shareholder in the company, and backed a decision
last December to pull Sztrada-Skala from the Budapest Stock
Exchange. Josephine now says it'll pay about $32 a share for
all of Sztrada-Skala stocks. That's well below the $91 face
value of the stocks, although the shares were severely
undervalued when last traded on the exchange, Dec. 28.
Josephine says its offer stands for 90 days.
ABOUT CET ON-LINE
-----------------
* CET On-Line - copyright (c) 1995 Word Up! Inc. All rights reserved.
This publication may be freely forwarded, archived, or
otherwise distributed in electronic format only so long as
this notice, and all other information contained in this
publication is included. For-profit distribution of this
publication or the information contained herein is strictly
prohibited. For more information, contact the publishers.
*****************************************************************
A tovabbterjesztest a New York-i szekhelyu Magyar Emberi Jogok
Alapitvany tamogatja.
[*] [*] [*] [*] [*][*] [*][*][*]
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[*][*][*] [*][*][*] [*][*] [*][*]
[*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*]
[*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*] [*]
Reposting is supported by Hungarian Human Rights Foundation News
and Information Service.
*****************************************************************
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