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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol 2, No. 39, 26 February 1998

BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT DISTRUSTS NATO OVER NUCLEAR WEAPON PLEDGE. Alyaksandr
Lukashenka said he does not believe NATO pledges that it will not deploy
nuclear weapons in Eastern Europe when it expands, Interfax reported on 24
February. Lukashenka, addressing the Novosibirsk branch of the Russian
Academy of Sciences, added that he "categorically opposed" the withdrawal
of "Russian strategic nuclear missiles from Europe, including Belarus." The
president said that Western states are setting up "intelligence centers" in
Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic in order to spy on Belarus and
Russia. Turning to domestic issues, Lukashenka said there will be neither
"mass privatization" in Belarus nor a redistribution of property to bankers
such as was the case in Russia, RFE/RL's Russian Service reported. PB

HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT DEBATES DAM DISPUTE. Addressing a 25 February special
parliamentary session on the Nagymaros-Gabcikovo hydropower project,
Hungarian Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs said that the cabinet will sign
only  a "non-binding framework agreement" with Slovakia, adding that a
final agreement will have to be approved by the parliament. Zoltan Pokorny,
chairman of the faction of Young Democrats (the opposition party that
initiated the debate) repeated his earlier criticism that building a second
dam on the Danube has not been ordered by the International Court of
Justice. Young Democrat Janos Ader urged the junior coalition party, the
Free Democrats, to use its veto right to put an end to the "Socialist
madness" in dealing with the issue. MSZ

HUNGARIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY FINED FOR MISHANDLING MISSILE TENDER. The
Supreme Court on 25 February fined the Defense Ministry's Procurement
Office 15 million forints ($72,000) for violating the principle of equal
opportunity and fair competition over a contract for anti-missile systems,
Hungarian media reported. The $100 million contract was awarded last year
to France's Matra company. Unsuccessful bidders had received a letter from
the Defense Ministry two months before the results were made public, saying
that negotiations will continue only with Matra. MSZ

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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol 2, No. 40, 27 February 1998

NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL IN BUDAPEST. Javier Solana on 26 February met with
President Arpad Goncz, Premier Gyula Horn, Defense Minister Gyorgy Keleti,
and Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs. At a joint press conference with
Kovacs, Solana said Hungary has made a great contribution to regional
stability and will have to continue doing so as a member of NATO. He said
Hungary must make further progress in developing cooperation with NATO
members and in particular in perfecting links with the alliance's
communication and air defense system. He added that it is important that
membership does not lead to tensions in relations with Russia, Hungarian
media reported. MS

WORLD BANK LOAN TO HUNGARY. The World Bank on 26 February approved a $150
million loan for Hungary to support educational reform, Reuters reported. A
statement by the bank said the project aims at "developing a system of
education that responds to the nation's changed and changing economic
needs." In other news, Hungarian police on 26 February arrested a
27-year-old Kosovo Albanian, suspected to have assassinated media magnate
Janos Fenyo earlier this month, according to dpa. The Albanian is reported
to have carried out the murder under contract. MS

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               Copyright (c) 1998 RFE/RL, Inc.
                     All rights reserved.
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