885096444

JPRS-EER-91-053 25 April 1991

POLITICAL

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vice versa. At the same time they urgently asked the Federal Govemment to reevaluate its stand on the 22-percent turnover tax on periodical press which threatens the existence of free-lance joumalists in both Republics.

Late Fascist Slovak President Commemorated

AU1604105691 Prague CTK in English 1643 GMT 14 Apr 91

[Text] Bratislava April 14 (CTK)—A rally took place here today to mark the anniversary of the execution of Jozef Tiso.

Participants in the rally, which started in a Bratislava Square, marched to a place of pilgrimage called Marianka near Bratislava where a feast of the rosaries was held.

HUNGARY

Capital Plans Gala After Departure of Soviets

91CH0470A Budapest NEPSZABADSAG in Hungarian 18 Mar 91 p 5

[Unattributed article from the Hungarian News Service: “Demszky Would Like Dancing in the Streels on 30 June"]

[Text] At the third site of the commemoration of 15 March, near the statuę of Petofi on the bank of the Danube, Budapest Mayor Gabor Demszky delivered a speech. He greeted those who had gathered to celebrate, espccially the “guards," the soldiers and police officcrs kecping watch.

He spoke about the demand, which was madę in 1948 and soon to become tnie, that there be no Hungarian soldiers in other countries and that no foreign soldiers dwell in our homeland. He invited those present to celebrate by dancing in the streets of the entire city on 30 June, the day of departure of the last Soviet soldier. He spoke of his hope that by the tum of the century Budapest would be the Capital of Central Europę and one of the noteworthy cities of the world; a place where daily life is not dominated by despair and sclf-denial, where citizens are engaged in launching enterprises and doing constructive deeds instead of antagonizing one another, recalling old wounds, digging up old grievances.

Budapest, as he said, now reąuires a thorough overhaul. The city urgently needs a law that takes into account both foreign cxperiences and Hungarian traditions. Asserting that the interests of cities and towns are idcntical, hc emphasized that the country cannot prosper without Budapest, nor should Budapest thrive at the expense of the country. Finally, on behalf of the capital city, the mayor hailed those who struggle for their freedom elsewhere: the Albanians, Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians.

Central Budapest Govemment, Districts Feud

91CH0505D Budapest MAGYAR HIRIAP in Hungarian 21 Mar 91 p 5

[Article by Janos D. Kiss: “The Forced Step To Be Taken by the SZDSZ [Alliance of Free Democrats]"]

[Text] The Alliance of Free Dcmocrats [SZDSZ] was forced to take a step in the course of the poisoned public dispute between the mayor of Budapest and the various district mayors. Many fail to understand why the SZDSZ leadership failed to make its voice heard earlier, in the moment the dispute erupted. The SZDSZ is the number one interested group in autonomous local goveming bodies in govemment because of its election victory, from the standpoint of both the mayor and the Budapest General Asscmbly on the one hand, and the district mayors and local representative bodies on the other. Further, a joint statement issued by the district mayors morę than a week ago virtually challenged the party leadership when it said that “we can no longer remain silent because of party policy considcrations." From the standpoint of the public, the issue is entirely self-explanatory: What kind of party policy consideration could enter into this dispute?

If, on the other hand, the SZDSZ leadership was left out thus far from the battlc between the capital city and the districts because it wanted to avoid even the semblance of interfering in the “intemal affairs" of autonomous govemmental bodies, in a manner akin to party State traditions, by now the situation has deteriorated to the point where fundamental party interests have become endangered. One need not explain the fact that as a result of the positions, the SZDSZ Controls in autonomous governmental bodies, it should be pressing the parlia-ment to create a law for the capital which ensures the best management and developmental opportunities for Budapest as a whole. In other words, to enable the capitaPs autonomous govemment to work properly, and also its districts, pursuant to their peculiar tasks. But how could the parliamentary faction of the party stand up in the House in support of a law which suits both sides, at a time when opposing interests between the capital and its districts are tense? What position, or whose position should the SZDSZ represent? Accord-ingly, the present situation, insofar as hostilities between the capital and its districts continue, could easily lead to a point where the SZDSZ parliamentary faction is forced to hand over the terrain to the parties of the goveming coalition. Let them create the law which govems the operations of SZDSZ autonomous governmental bodies in the capital, according to the interests of the governing coalition. Ali of this would greatly diminish the worth of the local election victory.

This explains why the SZDSZ leadership convened in a Tuesday evening conference of the members of the SZDSZ National Asscmbly faction, its Budapest mayors, its representatives serving in autonomous goveming bodies, its national managing body, and the Budapest