Hungarian American Coalition News, 2000 (9. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2000 / 1. szám
COALITION PROJECT UPDATE continued News from Slovakia Our bi-monthly publication, News from Slovakia, continues to provide news of special interest about the 600,000-large ethnic Hungarian community of Slovakia. Many thanks to Prof. Ede Chaszar for his ongoing efforts to gather the news about important political, minority, and human rights issues in Slovakia. Coalition members who are interested in getting this bi-monthly publication should call Patricia Olsavszky in our Washington Office and ask to be put on the mailing list. Washington, D.C. visit of Dr. László Jozsa of Vojvodina Dr. László Jozsa, Vice President of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians of Vojvodina, visited Washington from November 30 to December 6, 1999. The visit co-sponsored by the Hungarian American Coalition and the Hungarian Human Rights Foundation and assisted by the Hungarian Americans for Human Rights in Délvidék included meetings with government officials and the non-governmental (NGO) community. During talks with staff at Congress, State Department, National Security Council, and NGOs, Dr. Jozsa described the current situation of the Hungarian minority in Vojvodina, emphasizing their potential key role in helping to achieve the democratization of Serbia. Dr. Jozsa was also a distinguished guest of the Coalition’s annual Mikulás Dinner held at the Embassy of Hungary on December 3. Coalition Leaders Participate in Teleconference with Romanian Foreign Minister On January 27, 2000, during his visit to Washington, DC, Romanian Foreign Minister, Petre Roman, participated in a 35 minute-long conference call which included Coalition Chairman, Edith Lauer, Executive Committee members Frank Koszorús Jr. and László Hamos, and Romanian American Congress President, Armand Scala. Topics discussed included the following: the Hungarian American community's interest in continuing a constructive dialogue with Minister Roman concerning minority rights; a request that a liaison be named to facilitate this dialogue; expression of concern that ethnic Hungarians are not represented in the Romanian Department of State; and a request to give more serious and positive consideration to the reestablishment of a Hungarian-language university. Scholarships for Study in Hungary The Hungarian government is offering twenty scholarships for the 2000/2001 academic year to qualified Hungarian youths over 19 in the Western Hemisphere who would like to study Hungarian language, culture, history, art, and other related subjects on advanced level. The scholarships cover tuition, room and board for two semesters. For information and application forms call Dr. Gabor Tarjan at 973) 772-8810, or fax to (973) 772-5145, before March 31, 2000. Tony Curtis Donates Artwork to Coalition Hungarian-born actor, Tony Curtis, is also an accomplished artist. When Coalition Chairman Edith Lauer, met Mr. Curtis on the occasion of President Goncz’s June 8lh visit to the White House, she told him about the work of the Coalition and asked for his support. Subsequently, Mr. Curtis donated one of his signed and numbered limited edition prints, entitled “Primavera” to the Hungarian American Coalition. Mr. Peter Varhegyi, a prominent Chicago businessman, recently acquired this work of art for his collection. We are deeply grateful to Mr. Curtis for his generous support to our organization! 4 • Hungarian American Coalition • March 2000
