Hungary, Romania approve basic treaty Romanian and Hungarian Deputy Foreign Ministers Marcel Dinu and Ferenc Somogyi told journalists in Bucharest that the two countries have "practically finalized" the text
of the bilateral basic treaty, Radio Bucharest reported on August 14. Experts are to meet in Budapest next week to work on the "technical finalization," the ministers added. Radio Bucharest reported that the breakthrough came after a change in Budapest's position, which agreed on a joint interpretation of Council of Europe Recommendation 1201. But Somogyi told the press conference that a compromise had been reached whereby
neither side was forced to abandon its position. According to Bucharest's interpretation, the recommendation does not grant national minorities "collective rights" or territorial autonomy based on ethnicity. Previously, Bucharest had been opposed to having the recommendation mentioned in the text of the treaty. The two sides also agreed on the texts of an "accord of reconciliation and partnership" and a joint "political declaration."
