RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol 2, No. 211, 2 November 1998

NEW SLOVAK GOVERNMENT POSTPONES LOCAL ELECTIONS. One day
after being sworn in, the new Slovak cabinet rescheduled
the local elections from 13-14 November to 19 December,
AP reported on 31 October. The postponement will allow
the government to submit to the parliament amendments to
the electoral law. The Supreme Court has ruled that the
law is "unconstitutional" because it discriminates
against ethnic Hungarians. The cabinet also agreed to
draft a new law on the broadcast media. Prime Minister
Mikulas Dzurinda said state television was abused by his
predecessor, Vladimir Meciar, for political purposes. MS

DZURINDA ON HUNGARIAN PARTICIPATION IN CABINET. Speaking
to MTI on 30 October, Dzurinda said the Hungarian
Coalition Party (SMK) "represents a major democratic
force" in Slovakia. He added that the country needs
"peace, tranquillity, and good relations" and that these
objectives can be achieved only by cooperation among all
parties represented in the government. And he noted that
he would welcome the opportunity to meet with Hungarian
Premier Viktor Orban "as soon as possible," pointing out
that Hungarian-Slovak relations are an "important
element" of his government's policy. MS

ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IN BUDAPEST. Andrei Plesu and
his Hungarian counterpart, Janos Martonyi, met in
Budapest on 30 October to discuss, among other things,
bilateral relations and regional affairs, Hungarian and
Romanian media reported. Martonyi said Hungary supports
Romania's quest for integration into the EU and NATO, as
well as Bucharest's demand that the EU abolish entry
visas for Romanian citizens. Plesu said Hungary is
Romania's "number one trading partner" and called on
Budapest to increase investments in Romania. With regard
to the Hungarian-language university, Plesu said the
Romanian government has made its decision, but he added
that it is "risky" to predict the outcome of the
imminent parliamentary debate on the relevant law. MS

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