[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 154 (Friday, September 29, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S14768]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HISTORIC RECONCILIATION BETWEEN ROMANIA AND HUNGARY

 Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, this week President Clinton 
welcomed President Ion Iliescu of Romania at the White House. On this 
occasion, I would like to call to the attention of my colleagues 
President Iliescu's initiative to bring about an historic 
reconciliation between Romania and Hungary.
  I know from my visit to Romania, where I was an official observer of 
the 1992 elections, the Romanian and Hungarian peoples both have rich 
cultural traditions. As in many parts of Europe and elsewhere, ethnic 
and cultural traditions in these nations are not bound by national 
borders. Certain politicians in these nations have sought to repress 
ethnic and cultural minorities and increase long-standing tensions. 
Ethnic Hungarians in Romanian Transylvania in particular have been 
denied full human and civil rights. The tragic conflicts in the former 
Yugoslavia are a constant reminder of the risks of extreme nationalism 
and ethnic and cultural divisions.
  Mr. President, on August 30, President Iliescu called for an historic 
reconciliation between Hungary and Romania. In a statesmanlike speech, 
President Iliescu committed himself and his country to seeking a 
peaceful solution to the problems which have long damaged normal 
relations between Romania and Hungary. He cited as his model the 
Franco-German reconciliation that occurred when Charles de Gaulle and 
Konrad Adenauer committed their governments and their nations to 
forgive the past and jointly move forward to help create a more 
prosperous and more peaceful Europe. It is an important model to 
emulate.
  President Iliescu's overture is welcome news for Romanians and 
Hungarians, Europeans and Americans.
  For the ethnic Hungarians of Transylvania and other minority groups 
in Romania and Hungary, there is new hope that human rights and freedom 
of expression will be respected.
  For all the people of Hungary and Romania, there is new hope for 
freedom and democracy, peaceful cooperation, economic growth and 
integration with the West and its economic and political institutions.
  For the people of America and Europe, there is new hope for 
strengthened economic and political ties which will integrate Hungary 
and Romania into economic and political institutions on the basis of 
shared values.
  Romania and Hungary must now take real steps to ensure that these 
hopes are realized. Both governments must work to reach and implement 
broad and concrete agreements which will guarantee respect for human 
rights, confirm national borders, and expand opportunities for free and 
fair trade. Fortunately, this process is underway.
  The United States should support reconciliation between Hungary and 
Romania, and their integration into Western institutions. This 
reconciliation would mean a more stable world with more economic 
opportunities for Americans.
  Mr. President, I hope that President Iliescu's visit to Washington 
has strengthened the friendship between our two countries on the basis 
of a shared interest in freedom and democracy.

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