DATE=10/22/98
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-240552
TITLE=HUNGARY / VISEGRAD (L-O)
BYLINE=STEFAN BOS
DATELINE=BUDAPEST
CONTENT=
VOICED AT: 


INTRO:  THE HUNGARIAN, POLISH, AND CZECH PRIME MINISTERS HAVE 
URGED NATO TO ACCEPT THEIR COUNTRIES AS FULL MEMBERS BEFORE A 
WASHINGTON SUMMIT IN APRIL, WHEN WORLD LEADERS COMMEMORATE THE 
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEFENSE ALLIANCE.  STEFAN BOS REPORTS 
FROM BUDAPEST THAT HUNGARY, POLAND, AND THE CZECH REPUBLIC, KNOWN
AS THE 'VISEGRAD GROUP, ALSO DISCUSSED WAYS TO SPEED UP THEIR 
INTEGRATION INTO THE EUROPEAN UNION.

TEXT:  THE PRIME MINISTERS OF HUNGARY, POLAND AND THE CZECH 
REPUBLIC INDICATED, AFTER THEIR TALKS WEDNESDAY IN BUDAPEST, THE 
NATO ALLIANCE SHOULD SPEED UP ITS EXPANSION PLANS.

ALTHOUGH THE THREE FORMER WARSAW-PACT COUNTRIES ARE FRONT RUNNERS
TO JOIN NATO NEXT YEAR, AN EXACT DATE HAS YET TO BE FORMULATED.

BUT HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBAN TOLD REPORTERS HE AND 
HIS POLISH AND CZECH COUNTERPARTS AGREED THEIR COUNTRIES MUST 
BECOME FULL NATO MEMBERS, BEFORE A SCHEDULED WASHINGTON SUMMIT IN
APRIL. 

        /// ACT 1 -- HUNGARIAN, ESTABLISH, OVERVOICE ///

MR ORBAN SAYS, WE AGREED THERE IS A REALISTIC CHANCE THAT BY THE 
END OF THE YEAR ALL THE LEGAL PROCEDURES WILL BE READY SO THE 
CZECH REPUBLIC, POLAND, AND HUNGARY CAN JOIN NATO.  HE ADDS THE 
THREE COUNTRIES SHOULD BE FULL NATO MEMBERS DURING THE WASHINGTON
SUMMIT IN APRIL TO COMMEMORATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
ALLIANCE.  THE PRIME MINISTER SAYS DURING THE SUMMIT NATO WILL 
MAKE STRATEGIC DECISIONS, AND AS FULL MEMBERS OUR COUNTRIES WILL 
BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN NATO'S DECISIONS.

MR. ORBAN SAID RECENTLY HE BELIEVES NATO MEMBERSHIP WILL LEAD TO 
MORE CONFIDENCE AMONG FOREIGN INVESTORS.  HE ALSO HOPES NATO 
MEMBERSHIP IS INCREASING THE CHANCES OF HUNGARY, POLAND, AND THE 
CZECH REPUBLIC TO BECOME MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION BY 2002.  
BUT E-U OFFICIALS SAY THAT COULD NOT HAPPEN FOR AT LEAST SEVEN 
YEARS. 

THAT IS WHY THE HUNGARIAN, POLISH, AND CZECH PRIME MINISTERS 
DECIDED TO REVIVE THEIR COOPERATION IN THE SO-CALLED VISEGRAD 
GROUP, WHICH WAS FOUNDED IN 1991.  THEY ALSO HOPE SLOVAKIA WILL 
BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ORGANIZATION, AS SOON AS A NEW GOVERNMENT IS 
IN PLACE.

IN THE PAST, SLOVAKIA WAS CRITICIZED BY ITS NEIGHBORS FOR ITS 
TREATMENT OF MINORITIES, INCLUDING THE 500-THOUSAND ETHNIC 
HUNGARIANS LIVING THERE.

CZECH PRIME MINISTER MILOS ZEMAN SAYS IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO 
COOPERATE WITH SLOVAKIA IN VISEGRAD, AN ORGANIZATION HE DESCRIBES
AS 'A SMALL CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNION'.

                       /// ZEMAN ACT 2 ///

 THE REVITALIZATION OF THE VISEGRAD IDEA MEANS, PRACTICALLY, THE 
POSSIBILITY OF A SMALL CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNION.  WHERE WE MUST 
LEARN HOW TO COOPERATE BEFORE OUR FULL MEMBERSHIP IN THE EUROPEAN
UNION AS A WHOLE.

                         /// END ACT ///

MR. ZEMAN STATEMENTS MARKED A POLICY SHIFT OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC.
FORMER CZECH PRIME MINISTER VACLAV CLAUS MOVED AWAY FROM 
VISEGRAD, AN ORGANIZATION HE ONCE DESCRIBED AS A BLOCK OF 
COUNTRIES RESEMBLING THE COMMUNIST ERA.

BUT THE FACT THAT HUNGARY, POLAND, AND THE CZECH REPUBLIC PLEDGE 
TO COOPERATE MORE CLOSELY AGAIN, DOES NOT MEAN ALL TENSIONS ARE 
GONE.  THERE ARE STILL DISAGREEMENTS OVER THE CZECH AND POLISH 
CUSTOMS DUTIES IMPOSED ON HUNGARIAN WHEAT.  BUT THE PRIME 
MINISTERS SAID A SOLUTION WILL BE FOUND FOR THESE PROBLEMS AS 
THEY PLAN TO MEET EVERY SIX MONTHS.

IN ADDITION, THE THREE COUNTRIES PLAN CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL 
EXCHANGES TO IMPROVE DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS, AT A TIME WHEN THEY 
ALL TRY TO JOIN THE EUROPEAN UNION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.   
(SIGNED)

NEB/RAE

22-Oct-98 9:04 AM EDT (1304 UTC)
NNNN

Source: Voice of America
.