OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 38, 22 February 1996

KAZAKHSTANI-HUNGARIAN COOPERATION. The visiting Hungarian president
Arpad Goencz, and a Hungarian trade delegation headed by the industry
and trade minister Imre Dunai held talks with the Kazakhstani deputy
prime minister Akmetzhan Yesimov on 20 February, according to an MTI
report monitored by the BBC. It added that Kazakhstan is seeking
Hungary's involvement in projects to develop the country's railways,
health care, and housing and energy sector. Yesimov and Dunai signed a
protocol on intergovernmental trade agreements. They also discussed the
possibility of Kazakhstan supplying gas to Hungary in exchange for
Hungarian involvement in building the Yambrg gas pipeline and the Tengiz
oil refinery. --Bhavna Dave

NUCLEAR TRAIN ARRIVES IN HUNGARY. A train carrying used nuclear fuel
rods from the closed nuclear power plant in Greifswald, eastern Germany,
arrived at Hungary's Paks nuclear plant on 21 February, Hungarian
dailies reported the next day. The plant was closed down for safety
reasons after German reunification. Environmentalists criticize the
Hungarian authorities' decision to "buy" the rods from Germany and argue
that Paks is not as safe as is claimed by the plant's management. Paks
officials say the fuel rods can be safely used for one year. The
shipment of the "nuclear trash" saves nearly 3 billion forints ($21.5
million) for Hungary. While the nuclear train was en route from Germany,
German authorities mobilized 800 police and border guards to monitor
protests organized by Greenpeace. -- Zsofia Szilagyi

[As of 1200 CET]
Compiled by Roger Kangas and Jan Cleave