Tom Lantos: “I think it is appropriate to pay tribute to a country 1,000 years old which at long last has decided to join the…”

“I think it is appropriate to pay tribute to a country 1,000 years old which at long last has decided to join the community of democratic and freedom loving nations. It was my great pleasure to accompany our Secretary of State and the foreign ministers of Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland to Independence, Missouri for the signing of the document that has made Hungary a part of NATO. I earnestly hope that Hungary, before long, will be able to join the European Union. As we celebrate this momentous occasion, it is important, however, to hoist a flag of caution. Democracy in Hungary is functioning, but certainly not without its imperfections. There are still periodic outbursts of ethnic and racial harassment which the government needs to do more to put an end to. There are periodic attempts to destroy and desecrate Jewish cemeteries. At soccer games, hooligans of the far right are engaging in racial and religious intimidation. There are indications that the television medium is not as objective and open as it needs to be in a free and democratic society.”