1988. március (32-68. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2
j mmmAMm 9£79©m>> -j iJ&OísSl5ál . Editor: György Krassó * 24/D Little Russell Street * London, WC1A 2HN * Tel. 01-430 2126 (írom abroad 441-430 2126) Íí 3A/1988 (E) 2nd March, 1988 Independent Envjronmentalists Meeting On Tuesday March lst about a hundred people took part in a meeting, vhich vént on intő the evening, held by independent enváronnentalist groups in Budapest in the university building at 21-23 Sserb Street. The meeting vas organised oy the Eötvös Lóránd University Ecology Club, or to be more exact by the Green Circle. The aim of the gathering was to coordinate the work of the active independent envirucme ntalist clubs and unions which are more or less isolated from each other. All the most important enmronmentalist groups in Budapest vere represented as were those independent alliances which, if it is nőt their main preoccupation, include the protection of the environmsnt among their chief obj ectives. The represen táti vés of the Danube ** Circle János Vargha, Tamás Tóth, László Vit, Anna Perczel; the Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Society's operative enviionmental group László Szekeres, Zoltán Szeleczky, László Pollák and Kálmán Nagy; the university Ecology Club including the debate leader Ferenc Langmár, Péter Száraz and Géza Meszéna; the Law College Andor Nagy; the Petőfi Alliance Pál Dragon; the Danube Foundation Gábor Pajkossy and Judit Vásárhelyi; the Kál Basin Friendship Circle Győző Somogyi; the Bioculture Club Enikő Tamás; the Z-6-0 Peace group László Szilágyi were present among others in the debate. Lajos György and Béla Rabi appeared to represent KISZ (the Young Communist League) and someone came from the Ministry of the Envircnment.The Győr-Sopron County "Reflex" ecology unión programme was read out and statements against the acceleration of the construction of the Danube dam were reported. At the beginning of the extenaed debate those present heard an account of a meeting held the day before - Monday - when László Maróthy the Minister fór the Enviranment met with a few independent envircnmentalists. Maróthy informed his guests at the ministry of his plans;they however raisec many questions concerning first of all their misgivings about the Bős-Nagymaros dam and their intention to form an alliance. Maróthy forbade all further public debate about the Danube dam and proposed that they go.-to the Peaples Patriotic Front fór a possible alliance-forming discussion. Although it was said that this did nőt seem likely at present. He emphasised the importance of opemees and yet asked that the power nőt to be challenged. During the debate many things came to light. Fór example that Hungary had recently signed an.agreement with Yugoslavia promising to build a new envlronDentally damaging & power station, this would be built at Drava near Durdevac. Much was said about how the Peoples Patriotic Front, under the supervision of the Ministry of the Environment had begun to establish a new unión, and that nőt a single representátive of the independent enyiiDnnientalists had been asked to participate - surely nőt by chance alone. KISZ (the Young Communist League) is starting a new ecology magaziné called "Green" and they want to exclude all those who have fought to protect the natural envircnment fór years. The májőrity of the speakers thought these iniatives were malevolent political manipulations and this opinion was merely reinforced by Lajos György*s - the future editor of "Green" - speech according to which he was "alsó.viliing to give 10-20 lines" to independent voices. One section of the meeting*s participants said that they should jóin the alliance established from above collect- ively conversaly the others thought that they should campaign fór the establishment £ of an independent organisation as this type of official institution had demonstrated *' fór forty years that it could nőt be used fór anything positive. Similarly, the new iniatives ©riginated from above revealed that their intentions were nőt honest. Subscribers can use or quote the Hungárián October newsletters in totál or in detail as long as the source is acknowledged.
