OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 172, 5 September 1995
  
"ROM SOM" FEST ENDS IN BUDAPEST. The "Rom Som" festival ended on 3
September with a gala performance at the Budapest Congress Center at
which a letter of support from Premier Gyula Horn was read out in both
Romani and Hungarian. International media reported that few Roma
attended the festival's main events--performances of Carmen by a Spanish
flamenco troupe, Romeo and Juliet in Romani, and concerts by famous Jazz
artists--citing high ticket prices. However, local Roma filled the halls
of other, less publicized performances. Antonia Haga, Romani SZDSZ
representative to parliament, said proceeds will go toward Romani
education and that it is hoped the annual festival will be funded by the
EU. While "Rom Som" has been billed as the first-ever "World Gypsy
Festival," similar events have been held in Poland, Macedonia, and
elsewhere. -- Alaina Lemon
  
VAN DER STOEL ON ROMANIAN EDUCATION LAW. OSCE High Commissioner for
Ethnic Minorities Max van der Stoel, concluding the official part of his
visit to Romania on 1 September, recommended that the new Romanian
education law be reformulated to enable technical colleges to teach in
the Hungarian language. Radio Bucharest reported the same day that the
commissioner also recommended the inclusion of Hungarian-language
instruction in social sciences and economics at the country's
universities. Van der Stoel said the law currently allows for broad
interpretation of its provisions and that its implementation should be
reviewed (presumably by international organizations) at "regular
intervals" to ensure international standards are being applied. --
Michael Shafir

ROMANIA'S HUNGARIANS PROTEST EDUCATION LAW. International agencies on 2
September estimated that some 10,000 ethnic Hungarian participated in a
rally in the Transylvanian town of Targu Secuiesc protesting the
education law. The meeting was organized by the Hungarian Democratic
Federation of Romania (UDMR). UDMR chairman Bela Marko said the
Hungarian minority rejects the "forced assimilation" stipulated by the
new law. Pan Laszlofi, chairman of the Association of Hungarian
Educators in Romania, said his organization was preparing to found an
autonomous Hungarian university. The UDMR announced the setting up of
the Foundation for the Defense of the Hungarian Language. It also said
10 ethnic Hungarian youths would be cycling to Strasbourg to protest
there and en route against the new education law. -- Michael Shafir
  
[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Jan Cleave