OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 197, 10 October 1995

HUNGARIAN LABOR MINISTER REFUSES TO WITHDRAW RESIGNATION. Labor Minister
Magda Kosa-Kovacs has refused to withdraw her resignation, despite
Premier Horn's attempt to persuade her to do so, Hungarian media
reported on 10 October. Horn hoped she would agree to stay in office
once differences over the issue of sick leave were resolved. Kosa-
Kovacs, who is a member of the Socialist Party, held talks with Horn on
9 October. Nepszabadsag reported that they discussed a wide range of
issues and that Kosa-Kovacs resignation seems to be due to differences
between the Finance and Labor Ministries. -- Zsofia Szilagyi

HUNGARY SENTENCES SERBIAN GANGSTER. Marinko Magda was sentenced by the
Hungarian court to life imprisonment for committing four murders in
Hungary, Reuters reported on 6 October. The court said the 32-year-old
former French Foreign Legion soldier committed "premeditated murders,
some of them with particular cruelty." Magda belonged to a Serbian gang
called the "Commando of Death," which committed a series of armed
robberies in Hungary and the former Yugoslavia in 1993-1994 in which 17
people were killed. Once he has served 25 years in prison, he will be
expelled to rump Yugoslavia. -- Zsofia Szilagyi

FIRST ROMANI NEWSWIRE TO BE LAUNCHED IN HUNGARY. A non-profit Romani
newswire will begin trial operations in Hungary next month, Nepszabadsag
reported on 9 October. One of the organizers said that too many non-
credible, non-Romani sources distribute unreliable information on Roma
and that Roma thus need their own agency.But the wire agency will
initially be staffed mostly by non-Roma. It will use MTI's facilities to
transmit news and says it will not be associated with any Romani
organization or party. The agency will receive funding from a variety of
foundations to help ensure objectivity. Hungary already has a Romani
television program and several publications. -- Alaina Lemon

[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Jan Cleave
 

Tuesday, 10 October 1995
Volume 2, Issue 198

REGIONAL NEWS
-------------

**RUSSIANS REFUSE TO EXPEL GAS**
  Hungary said the resumption of Russian natural gas to the
  Bosnian capital is being held up by the lack of an agreement
  between Russia, Serbia and Bosnia on the conditions for
  delivery.  Foreign Ministry Spokesman Gabor Szentivanyi said
  the holdup is caused purely by technical questions.  He said
  Hungary will begin sending gas through as soon as it arrives
  from Russia.  The gas flows through a pipeline which crosses
  Hungary on its way to Bosnia.  Szentivanyi said the main delay
  is over how much Russia will be paid for the gas and how it'll
  be split between Bosnia and Serbia.  But he expects the deal
  to be finalized this week.


BUSINESS NEWS
-------------

**BUDAPEST BANK OFFICIAL RESIGNS**
  A deputy general director of Hungary's OTP bank is leaving and
  won't be replaced. OTP is the country's biggest bank.It
  controlls about 30 percent of the country's total bank assets.
  A statement issued by OTP said Laszlo Torok will leave his
  post by mutual consent October 15.  The statement said Torok
  won't be replaced because of structural changes in the bank.
  Torok was responsible for banking operations, business policy
  and marketing.  OTP, which enjoys a near monopoly in retail
  banking, has been undergoing privatization.  About 30 percent
  of OTP's shares were sold to domestic and foreign investors in
  July.  Shares of the bank have been listed on markets in
  Berlin, London and Luxembourg as well as Budapest.  The bank
  posted a  pre-tax  profit of about $27 million in the first 6
  months of this year.  That's $3 million more than expected.
  --David Fink


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PRESS RELEASE (95)94                 9 October 1995

NATO SEMINAR WITH COOPERATION PARTNERS ON IMPLEMENTATION
OF CONVENTIONAL ARMS CONTROL AGREEMENTS

On 11-13 October, at NATO Headquarters, NATO's
Verification Coordinating Committee (VCC) will host its
5th Seminar with Cooperation Partners on cooperation in
the verification and implementation of conventional arms
control agreements, to include the Treaty on
Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty) and the
Vienna Document 94.  In addition to the sixteen NATO
member nations, representatives from the Ministries of
Foreign Affairs and Defence and heads of national
verification organizations from Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary,
Kazakhstan, Moldova, Poland, Romania, the Russian
Federation, Slovakia and Ukraine will participate.

The 5th Seminar with Cooperation Partners is the latest
in a series of seminars and workshops to assess the
results of the programme of enhanced cooperation
initiated by NATO in January 1993.  This programme,
designed to achieve a cooperative approach to
implementing conventional arms control agreement
provisions, includes four areas of special relevance to
the CFE Treaty:  joint inspections of declared sites;
joint inspections of main battle tank, armoured combat
vehicle, artillery, combat aircraft and attack helicopter
reductions; joint training courses; and sharing of
information stored on NATO's verification data base,
VERITY.

At the forthcoming 5th Seminar, nations will discuss the
challenges facing CFE Treaty signatories during the
implementation of the Treaty's 120-day residual level
validation period, scheduled to begin on 17 November, and
on the follow-on residual period, commencing in mid-
March 1996. This 120-day inspection period is designed to
verify the holdings of treaty-limited equipment in units
remaining from the completion of the three-year reduction
period.  From then on, frequent on-site inspections of
these units will monitor annual data exchanges by
all thirty Treaty signatories.

During the Seminar, two workshops will be held on topics
concerning implementation of the CFE Teaty and the Vienna
Document 1994. Plenary discussion will address the
ongoing program of cooperation in arms control
implementation, both with respect to the CFE Treaty and
agreements yet to enter into force, such as the Open
Skies Treaty.

The Seminar will be opened by the Deputy Secretary
General, Ambassador Sergio Balanzino.  Keynote speakers
include Ambassador Dr. Josef Holik from Germany,
Ambassador Dr. Viatcheslav Kulebyakin from Russia, and
Ambassador Boris Tarasyuk from Ukraine.

MEDIA OPPORTUNITY
On Friday, 13th October, 1500 hours, Brosio Room
Briefing by the Chairman, VCC, Mr. Necil NEDIMOGLU.