OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 84, 29 April 1996

CENTRAL EUROPEAN FORUM HOLDS INAUGURAL CONFERENCE IN HUNGARY. Several
hundred diplomats, government officials, and academics attended in
Budapest on 27-28 April the first conference of the Central European
Forum (CEF). Poland proposed the forum in December 1995 to provide a
framework for dialogue about EU enlargement. Hungarian President Arpad
Goncz and Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs argued that the EU must expand
to maintain its competitive edge in the global economy. Former German
Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and former French Prime Minister Raymond Barre
reassured the Central Europeans that in the long term their EU
membership is certain. The CEF took place just one day after the
European Commission sent a 200-page questionnaire to the nine East-
Central European countries applying for EU membership, which they must
complete in the next three months.-- Peter Rutland in Budapest

[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Deborah Michaels


Monday, 29 April 1996
Volume 1, Issue 338


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REGIONAL NEWS
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Slovakia Chastised
------------------
  Western Europe blasted Slovakia last week  for blocking the
  nomination of Hungarian diplomat Istvan Gyarmati to the post
  of secretary of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
  in Europe.

  Apparently Slovakia wanted to put its own candidate into the
  position. Western diplomats called the attempt ridiculous, and
  praised Gyarmati's skills.  They say Slovakia has managed to
  give an international dimension to Hungarian Slovak
  differences.


-----------------------------
American Sentenced in Hungary
-----------------------------
  United States citizen Paul Camarce has been sentenced to two
  years in a Hungarian prison for the death of a Hungarian man
  in a two car collision near Kaposvar in January.  The accident
  also left a 17 year old girl paralyzed from the neck down.
  Camarce was working with the US military force stationed in
  the region and has appealed the decision of the Kaposvar
  municipal court.


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BUSINESS NEWS
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> ----------------------------------------------
Italian Paper Claims Hungary Top Money Launderer
> ----------------------------------------------
  An Italian newspaper said Friday that Hungary has become the
  money laundering capital of central Europe because of a lack
  of banking checks and controls.  The paper spoke with Mihaly
  Arnold, the head of Hungary's customs and finance guards.

  Arnold says the money laundering figures are exaggerated, but
  concedes that Hungarys banking system is unable to supervise
  all transactions.  The Italian paper compares Hungary to
  Switzerland in the amount of wandering capital it handles and
  says Hungary is overdue in signing international banking
  agreements.





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