RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
________________________________________________________
RFE/RL NEWSLINE  21 May 1999

FIDESZ STATE SECRETARIES OFFER RESIGNATION AFTER U.S.
LETTER SCANDAL. The two FIDESZ political state
secretaries who signed a letter lobbying for the
appointment of Steven M. Jones, a Lockheed Martin
executive, as the next U.S. ambassador to Hungary have
tendered their resignations, Hungarian media reported on
20 May (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 20 May 1999). Neither
Gabriella Selmeczi nor Istvan Balsay denied press
reports that they are linked to Lockheed Martin. FIDESZ
parliamentary group leader Jozsef Szajer said that the
party's leadership has approved the resignations but
that Prime Minister Viktor Orban will make the final
decision on 21 May. According to "Vilaggazdasag,"
current U.S. Ambassador to Hungary Peter Tufo confirmed
the letter's existence and said it was delivered to the
U.S. Meanwhile, U.S. President Bill Clinton and
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright have confirmed
Tufo in his post, "Nepszabadsag" reported on 21 May. MSZ

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
               Copyright (c) 1999 RFE/RL, Inc.
                     All rights reserved.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx