RFE/RL Daily Report
No. 139, 25 July 1994
BOMB DAMAGES HISTORIC BUDAPEST CHURCH. Early morning on 23 July a
bomb exploded at the Matthias church, one of Budapest's most
treasured landmarks, MTI and Western news agencies report. No one
was hurt but the blast destroyed a back door of the church, part
of the steps leading down to the crypt, and valuable stained glass
windows. The Matthias church dates back to the thirteenth century,
and served as a coronation site for Hungary's monarchs over the
centuries. Damage to the building is estimated at around 30-35
million forints. Authorities posted a three million forint reward
for information on those responsible for the bombing. The
explosion was the third bomb attack on an historic building in
Hungary in less than two months. Police said that they cannot rule
out a possible connection between the Matthias church blast and
the other two bombings. Interior Minister Gabor Kuncze was quoted
by MTI as saying that "there are certain signs which point to
ex-Yugoslavia." Edith Oltay, RFE/RL, Inc.
BULGARIAN AND HUNGARIAN OFFICIALS IN BRATISLAVA. Bulgarian Premier
Lubyen Berov completed a three-day visit to Slovakia on 23 July,
TASR reported. Expressing satisfaction with the results of talks
with top Slovak officials, Berov stressed the need to further
develop bilateral relations. Slovak Premier Jozef Moravcik pointed
to possibilities for Slovak arms sales to Bulgaria. On 23 July
Hungarian Defense Minister Gyorgy Keleti visited Slovakia to
discuss cooperation with Slovak officials. Following a meeting
with Deputy Premier Ivan Simko, Simko stressed the importance of
good relations among the Visegrad countries. Both expressed
interest in passing a bilateral treaty, which Simko said could be
concluded before the Slovak elections. Sharon Fisher, RFE/RL,
Inc.
[As of 1200 CET]
Compiled by Vladimir Socor and Dan Ionescu
Copyright 1994, RFE/RL, Inc. All rights reserved.
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