RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
___________________________________________________________
RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 2, No. 130, 9 July 1998

POLISH FARMERS PROTEST GRAIN IMPORTS. More than 100 farmers
blocked the Polish-German border crossing at Kolbaskowo for
two hours on 8 July to protest grain imports and the absence
of a government grain procurement program for this year,
"Rzeczpospolita" reported. Another 200 farmers emptied 500
tons of Hungarian grain from railroad freight cars at the
Polish-Czech border crossing at Zebrzydowice. The farmers
are demanding that threshold prices be introduced for
imported grain and that such imports be subsequently banned
altogether. Agriculture Minister Jacek Janiszewski said the
government has already set a minimum price that make grain
imports unprofitable but noted that decision has not yet
been implemented . JM

SLOVAKIA'S DURAY ON NEW HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT. Miklos Duray,
honorary chairman of Slovakia's Hungarian Coalition Party,
on 8 July told the Hungarian news agency MTI that he "hopes
and believes" that Viktor Orban's government will keep the
promise that Orban made on the night of his election
victory. He quoted Orban as saying that "although the
borders of the Hungarian nation do not coincide with those
of the Hungarian state, the next Hungarian government will
be one of the whole nation." Duray said this is the
"intellectual heritage" of the cabinet headed from 1990-1993
by late Premier Joszef Antall. He added that the new
Hungarian government must draft its "policies for the 21st
century" to take into account ethnic Hungarians living
beyond Hungary's borders. MS

NEW HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT SWORN IN. The 16 ministers of
Orban's government took the oath of office on 8 July. Orban
said the cabinet gives priority to boosting the economy and
improving living standards. In other news, the parliament
approved the government's proposal to bring social security
under central government control and to nationalize pension
and health funds. The opposition protested the planned move,
while the largest national trade union federation said it
will appeal to the Constitutional Court over the issue. MSZ

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
               Copyright (c) 1998 RFE/RL, Inc.
                     All rights reserved.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx