No.2.(06/02/98)  One month of Euro-Atlantic integration
                            (January 1998)

2 January

• Hungarian foreign policy considers that its main task in 1998 is to utilize the possibilities offered by the accession to NATO and the European Union, said László Kovács, Foreign Minister.

3 January

• In the first quarter the French company, Matra Defense commences the shipment of the rockets to Hungary that the Army purchased last year.

7 January

• With the participation of the Ambassadors of the three new NATO candidates the first meeting this year of the North Atlantic Council has been held. András Simonyi, NATO Ambassador has said that from now on all meetings will be held with similar participation.
• László Kovács, in his year opening evaluation has considered it primarily important that our would be NATO membership will not cause any harm to our relationship with the neighbouring countries.
• Tony Blair, British Prime Minister has addressed a a letter to Gyula Horn, Prime Minister in which he has pointed out that in his belief the ratification of the Minutes of Accession signed between Hungary and NATO will be performed without any problem at all in the London Parliament.

14 January

• Expectedly the Tender of the Hungarian Army on Purchasing Radars will be signed in February. One of the most important military requirements of the accession to NATO is the updating of the Air Control.

16 January

• A Partnership Charter has been signed in the White House by the Presidents of the United States, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. By that the Baltic States have received a kind of official confirmation with respect to their independence and their attempts toward integration into the West.

20 January

• A fast and hopefully problem free ratification has been envisaged by the diplomats representing the NATO Member States at the parliamentary discussion that has been organized by the Foreign and Defense Committee of the National Assembly on the issues of the Euro-Atlantic Integration. István Szent-Iványi, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly has announced that the National Assembly is ready to send Representatives to the Parliaments of the NATO countries in order to assist the extension of the Alliance through providing information on Hungary's attempts.

21 January

• Now it is the fourth time the Hungarian, Polish and the Czech NATO Ambassadors can attend the meeting of the North-Atlantic Council in Brussels. András Simonyi, Hungary's NATO Ambassador has said that since the commencement of special status a major change can be felt, we receive the most possible help, we expect no delays in the ratification of our accession which will be followed by a formal decision on Hungary acceding the Southern Headquarters.

22 January

• SFOR soldiers have caught a war criminal in Bijeljina, Eastern Bosnia. Javier Solana has said that it is a key precondition of the permanent settlement in Bosnia to bring to trial those who have committed atrocities, mass murders during the war, a step without which the implementation of Peace Agreements cannot be envisaged.

24 January

• In Madrid in the second phase of the NATO extension Romania and Slovenia have been mentioned as suitable Candidates for Membership. Romania's intention is to achieve that Romania and Slovenia will be also invited to the NATO accession negotiations in April 1999, said Andrei Plesu, Romanian Foreign Minister.

26 January

• During the discussions between Gyula Horn, Prime Minister and Emil Constantinescu Romanian Head of State the Hungarian Prime Minister has confirmed that the Hungarian Government will support, in every possible way, Romania's Euro-Atlantic attempts. Its success will further grow by the fact that Hungary has become part of the extension process of NATO and the EU in the first round.

28 January

• Let's say yes on the new allies, let's ratify the NATO membership of Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic, Bill Clinton has requested the American legislation.

29 January

• A seemingly benevolent, symbolic step, actually the American people could dearly pay for it, and it might also occur that not only in dollars, this is how the argument of the organizations in Washington against the NATO accession of Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic goes.

30 January

• The NATO membership sets new tasks for the Hungarian Secret Service, said Tibor Vidus, Major General, the Director General of the National Security Office. A National Security Authority related to the Security System of the Alliance has to be set up, the security control of the range of persons who have access to NATO information, the protection of industrial facilities has to be increased, emphasized the Director General.

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The Integration Activity of the Parliament in the field of Security Politics
(January Summary)

29 January-7 February
Tamás Wachsler, the Deputy Head of the Hungarian NATO Delegation has paid a visit to the United States of America as a member of the Subcommittee named Defense and Security Committee on Defense and Security Cooperation between Europe and North-America. The official journey is meant to be a major contribution to preparing the voting in the Senate of the United States of America on NATO extension.