RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
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RFE/RL NEWSLINE  28 January 2000

HUNGARIAN PREMIER URGES EU ENLARGEMENT IN PORTUGAL. Viktor
Orban on 27 January told his Portuguese counterpart, Antonio
Guterres, that during Portugal's presidency the EU should
start membership negotiations with Hungary in all areas.
Guterres said his country considers it important that the
EU's internal reforms take into account the interests of EU
candidates, including Hungary. Orban told reporters in Lisbon
he was assured that all parliamentary parties in Portugal
would support the quick ratification of Hungary's accession.
MSZ

IMF GIVES HOPEFUL SIGNAL TO ROMANIA ON STAND-BY AGREEMENT.
IMF representative Emanuel Zervoudakis said on 27 January
that the fund may release the next tranche of a $547 million
standby loan to Romania provided certain measures are taken
in the next few weeks. Zervoudakis said the IMF will make a
final decision in March. He said the Romanian parliament
should pass a 2000 budget by then and resolve issues related
to salary policy. The IMF disagrees with the government's
recent 80 percent increase in army salaries. In other news,
Cluj Mayor Gheorghe Funar on 27 January said he will sue the
prefect who suspended him from his post this week, Hungarian
Radio reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 27 January 2000). VG

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