RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 2, No. 125, 1 July 1998

SLOVAKIA'S HUNGARIANS PROTEST DISCRIMINATION. Thousands of
ethnic Hungarian pupils on 30 June protested new government
regulations that they consider discriminatory, Reuters
reported. Pupils handed back their end of term reports after
the Ministry of Education ordered the reports to be issued
in the Slovak language only. The ministry, which is run by
the ultra-right Slovak National Party, also intends to amend
existing legislation to make the teaching of history and
geography in national minority schools in Slovak obligatory
and to require that books used in teaching be approved by
the ministry. MS

HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES NEW CABINET STRUCTURE. By a
vote of 207 to 47 and 45 abstentions, the parliament on 30
June approved a bill whereby the new cabinet will have 13
ministries (instead of 12 until now) and two ministers
without portfolio. The Socialist and Free Democrat
opposition criticized that provision of the bill that splits
the Culture and Education Ministry into an Education
Ministry and a National Cultural Heritage Ministry, saying
the latter does not express the variety of cultures in
Hungary. In other news, former Prime Minister Peter Boross
is to become Prime Minister-designate Viktor Orban's
national security adviser, "Magyar Hirlap" reported on 1
July. MSZ

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