RFE/RL NEWSLINE 
Vol. 1, No. 88, 5 August 1997


HUNGARIAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS CHARGED FOR UNAUTHORIZED
DATA PROCESSING. The Budapest Military Prosecutor's Office (BKU)
charged on 4 August Colonel Laszlo Foeldi, former director of
operations at the Intelligence Office (IH), and three other members of
his staff with violation of state secrets and unauthorized data
processing. Hungarian media reported. The move reverses the BKU's
decision of 19 June that no crime had been committed in the so-
called Operation Birch Tree in which intelligence agents collected
data on several Socialist politicians. IH director Jozsef Szasz filed a
complaint against the 19 June ruling with the Chief Prosecutor's
Office, which then filed charges against Foeldi and his associates.

HUNGARIAN RADIO TRUSTEE RESIGNS. Istvan Lovas, a member of
the Hungarian Radio's board of trustees, resigned on 4 August,
claiming that news coverage is narrow, biased and intolerant,
Hungarian media reported. In a letter to the speaker of the
parliament, Lovas said the main radio programs broadcast biased
information, misinform the public, and are controlled by a minority
selecting information in the interest of sustaining the present
government coalition. Lovas's resignation takes effect on 1
September. He was delegated to the board by the Independent
Smallholders' Party.


SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

ROMANIAN INTERIOR MINISTER TOURS TRANSYLVANIA. Gavril
Dejeu, on a tour of several counties in Transylvania, said on 4 August
in Cluj that the opening of the Hungarian consulate in the center of
the town has been "a mistake." He said a different, less central
building should have been found for this purpose to avoid a
"conflictual situation," Radio Bucharest reported. He failed to mention
that the Cluj mayoralty had refused to assign any building to the
consulate, which is now housed in temporary premises belonging to
the Hungarian community in the city. Dejeu also said that local
authorities in Transylvania should proceed "prudently" with the
implementation of the government ordinance allowing bilingual
signs. He said the ordinance, though in effect, will eventually have to
be approved by the parliament. He said until then one should display
"wisdom" to avoid "conflicts that could resemble those in the former
Yugoslavia."


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