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RFE/RL NEWSLINE 2 October 1998

HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT, JEWISH COMMUNITY AGREE ON COMPENSATION.
Minister of Cultural Heritage Jozsef Hamori and Peter
Feldmajer, chairman of the Federation of Hungarian Jewish
Communities, have signed an agreement on collective
compensation for properties confiscated under communism. The
Jewish community will receive a $63 million annuity
representing the value of its 152 schools and other
buildings. The first 608 million forint ($2.9 million)
installment of the annuity will be paid in 1998. In other
news, the Hungarian Calvinist Church said in a statement it
expects its pastors who are also parliamentary deputies not
to voice opinions contrary to the views of Christian
ideology. The statement comes in the wake of a recent
statement made in the parliament by a Calvinist pastor,
Lorant Hegedus of the Justice and Life Party, which was
denounced by the opposition as racist. MSZ

OPPOSITION CRITICIZES CLOSURE OF HUNGARIAN DAILY. Opposition
critics say the Budapest tabloid "Kurir," whose publication
was suspended by its owner on 1 October, was a victim of the
new cabinet's preferences for more conservative newspapers.
"Kurir" was owned by Postabank, whose top management was
fired by the government several weeks ago, when the
government gained majority ownership of the bank. Laszlo
Kovacs, chairman of the opposition Hungarian Socialist Party,
said "it is unacceptable to suspend newspapers critical of
the government on the pretext of financial difficulties." MSZ

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