OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 18,  27 January 1997

STRONG CRITICISM OF HUNGARIAN SOCIALIST PLAN FOR QUICK SETTLEMENT TO
GABCIKOVO DISPUTE. Representatives of opposition parties and civil
organizations, meeting in Budapest this weekend, rejected the ruling
Socialists' bid to secure an out-of-court settlement of the Gabcikovo
dispute, Hungarian dailies reported on 27 January. The government, which
is holding secret negotiations with Slovakia, is divided over the issue,
since the junior coalition Free Democrats argue that the dispute should
be settled at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Meanwhile, Hungarian environmental organizations have submitted a
compromise plan to The Hague. They have also sent a letter urging the
court to rule that nations do not have the right to destroy eco-systems,
since rivers and forests are not their sole property. They warn that the
Slovaks' unilateral re-routing of the Danube has caused a significant
deterioration of the Szigetkoz region's eco-system, pointing out that
two-thirds of the neighboring population have had to flee. -- Zsofia
Szilagyi

[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Jan Cleave