OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 207, 24 October 1996

HUNGARIANS COMMEMORATE 1956 UPRISING. Low-key celebrations were held
throughout Hungary on 23 October to commemorate the 40th anniversary of
the anti-Soviet uprising, Hungarian and international media reported.
Some 1,000 people stood outside the parliament as President Arpad Goncz
lit a flame that will burn until 4 November, the day the rebellion was
crushed. The mood of the crowds was far from festive, with veterans of
the uprising complaining about the difficult economic situation. Many
Hungarians have grown apathetic about the 1956 events, and young people
in particular stayed away. Meanwhile, several hundred neo-Nazis gathered
in Budapest on 23 October, calling for Hungarian Jews to be resettled in
Israel. The skinheads also demanded the re-nationalization of banks and
firms "privatized by foreigners" and the ousting of "anti-Hungarian
politicians," AFP reported. -- Sharon Fisher

HUNGARIAN PRIVATIZATION SUSPENDED. Arpad Kovacs, the nominee for
chairman of the board of the state privatization company APV, announced
on 22 October that privatization is to be suspended following a recent
scandal involving controversial payments to consultant Marta Tocsik,
Hungarian media reported two days later. Addressing the parliament's
Economic Committee, Kovacs promised radical changes in the work of the
board--including more openness --and noted that privatization should be
completed by 1998. The committee unanimously supported Kovacs's
nomination. Also on 22 October, Prime Minister Gyula Horn told Hungarian
TV that he is willing to give up his post if an appropriate replacement
is found. Stating his commitment to completing the transformation
process, Horn emphasized the benefits of privatization. He also stressed
that the Tocsik case is not a privatization scandal and denied the
Socialist Party's involvement. -- Sharon Fisher


[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Jan Cleave