1988. szeptember (209-245. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2

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Editor: György Krassó * 24/D Little Russell Street * London, WC1A 2HN * Tel. 01-430 2126 (írom abroad 441-430 2126)

224/1988 (E) 10th September, 1988

The Hungárián Democratic Fórum Discusses Ecological Questions in Esztergom

Plans fór a mass protest the day after tomorrow against the eonstruction of the Bos- Nagymaros dam and to demand a referendum were impressed upon today’s Hungárián Democratic Fórum meeting. The theme of the meeting was the social and economic situation of environmentalism. A debate ensued about the sort of possibilities that economic procedures which do nőt destroy the environment, local technologies and alternative life-styles provide in the shaping of the country’s future. Dr Erhard Busek, the Vice- President of the Austrian Peoples Party, Doleschal, a representative of the Czech group "Democratic Initiative" and a Swiss doctor were among the invited lecturers.

Of the great number of Hungárián speakers, including local Esztergom speakers, it is worth mentioning the speeches by János Vargha and Károly Perczel, the two well-known leading founders of the Danube Circle (Perczel*s speech was read out in his absence) and those by Gyula Kodolanyi, Gy. Csaba Kiss and Iván Bába.

The reasoning behind this economically senseless and environmentally destructive plán has been stressed recently by the Hungárián mass média, it states that if the con- struction of the dam were stopped then Austria would claim a great deal of compensation, 30 billión Forints, from the Hungarians. Marga Hubinek, Chairperson of the Austrian Peoples Party, said at an International environmentalist meeting held in Budapest at the beginning of the month that the amount of compensation could probably be reduced.

Dr Erhard Busek, Vice-President of the Peoples Party in Austria, went even further when he said that it is possible that no compensation need be paid. Iván Bába said that if'they continue to build and make Hungárián society swallow this bittér pill then they should nőt be surprised if it is sicked up later on. It will certainly be a source of constant tension fór decades. He said that the power station will become a monument, a permanent reminder that Kádár and Losonczy signed the contract and that Grosz carried it out.

Over 600 people took part in the conference, they adopted a statement which demanded an end to eonstruction, an independent, comprehensive review of the plans and a new environment law. The statement was sent to all the M.P.s.

In a press conference during a break in the meeting the organisers of the Fórum an- nouced that 60-70 provinciái groups were being organised and that they hoped there would soon be 10 000 members. The Fórum will operate under the temporary leadership and with the basic regulations until its Autumn congress.

During the conference it was possible to apply fór membership and to subseribe to Liget ("Grove") a periodical which was banned previouslyand to Hitel ("Trust") which is soon to start up. The "Danube Anthology" was alsó fór sale and the Young Democrats Alliance distributed information and its programme. Béla Simonyi, a member of the Catholic Basis Community in Székesfehérvár, collected more than 200 signatories fór a declaration demanding the introduc^ion of an alternative social service in piacé of military service. He said that in accordance with the law being passed "this social service must be dealt with by the Ministry of Health and Social Security, it must be completely separate from the army and should be valid during wartime as well, it should be an honourable, hard task bút bear no relation to any sort of punishment".

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