1987. november (125-143. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2

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2.4/D iíttle Rutsell Street, L 0 NI D 0 NI, W.C.t ■ Tel. DJ-4S0 z< 26 ■ G. firctssé 135/1987 (E) 23rd November, 1987

The International Seminar Goncerning East-West Links Ends in Budapest

On Sunday November 22nd at 6 pm the two day International seminar ended in Budapest. It was organised by the Lau Sociological Faculty in cooperation with a West Berlin organisation called "The European Network of Dialogues Between East and West" and dealt with the European influences of Gorbachov’s policies and the complete European cooperation of altemative democratic movements. The conference provoked in- temational interest and all the well knoun press agencies, even including MTI (Hungárián Press Agency) and the Hungárián Daily Népszabadság, reported on it - although the latter painted a very false picture of the conference.

There was uncertainty about whether the conference could take piacé or nőt up until the last minute. Due to difficulties caused by the Hungárián authorities the seminar was finally held in the music school on the comer of Radnóti Miklós Street and Fiirst Sándor Street in the XIII district of Budapest despite the original plans to hold it in the Law College in Ménesi Street. Of the nearly two hundred participants a third came from foreign countries: Western Europe and the States, and somé from Poland, Czechoslovakia, East Germany and Yugoslavia.

On Sunday Gorbachov’s reform policies were discussed. Iván Vitányi spoke about cul- tural unity in Europe and jjarv Kaldor said that while conservative forces applaud Gorbachov in Western Europe left wing movements feel that the reforms introduced in the Soviet Union are inadequate. János Kis deemed it desirable to specify ex- actly the status of Soviet troops in Hungary and to draw up a code of humán rights within the Warsaw Pact. He said that one of the results of the East-Central European economic crisis and debt is that the seminar could take piacé, bút that debt can .imply the danger of the leadership - using subtle prop a ganda - trying to shift responsibility fór the economic crisis and lower standards of living onto Western bankers. Castoriadis spoke about moderate Soviet reforms which - in their present form - do nőt serve the interests of the working eláss, bút a revolution is ripen- ing in the Soviet Union. Mihály Vajda drew attention to the survival of authorit- arian state power. The single Czech delegate read out Jarosláv Sábáta*s letter to the conference - the spokesperson of the Charter *77 movement - which focussed on the tasks to be carried out if European unity becomes practice. Jiri Dienstbier sent his contribution in writing in which he proposed the tank as a symbol which would wam the Eastern European nations of a Soviet invasion and the Western European nations of Soviet danger. This was followed by a number of speeches, among them the writer György Konrad gave voice to his opinion that the Hungárián govera- ment should enter intő negotiations with the Soviet Union about the withdrawal of Soviet troops. Mikolta Bognár read out a declaration concerning László Rusai who was arrested on November 9th in Hatvan. The participants in the conference were, on the whole, fairly critical of Gorbachov’s reforms, especially the representat- ives from the Warsaw Pact countries.

On Sunday more concrete themes were discussed. By common consent - modifying the original agenda - they inserted a discussion on the question of conscientious ob- jection. The participants agreed, almost without exception, that the refusal to do military service is a fundamental humán right and they condemned tne imprison- ment of conscientious objectors. This was discussed by among otners Jacek Gzaputowicz