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January 29-31, 2007 Speaker of Hungarian Parliament Visits Washington, Meets with Pelosi, Lantos
The Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament, Ms. Katalin Szili, was on a three-day visit in Washington, D.C.
On January 30th, she met with her counterpart, Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The two speakers discussed bilateral relations and issues of mutual concern, including the visa waiver question. The Bush administration and several legislators are considering proposals for the extending the visa waiver program to several European allies, including Hungary. Ms. Pelosi and Ms. Szili discussed this possibility and the necessary requirements for Hungary’s inclusion. The Hungarian Speaker informed the House leader about her efforts in parliamentary diplomacy. She invited Ms. Pelosi to attend the meeting of the speakers of legislatures of the West Balkan region, hosted by the Hungarian Speaker in Budapest later this year. The American and Hungarian Speakers exchanged views on current global issues such as climate change, North-South differences (development), stem cell research, and the future of Kosovo. In view of Ms. Pelosi’s recent trip to the region, they briefly discussed the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan.
After the meeting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the delegation led by Ms. Szili had talks with Congressman Tom Lantos, the Chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. They discussed Hungary’s economic and political situation as well as Lantos’ recent trip to the Middle East.
On the first day of the visit, the delegation met with representatives of the local Hungarian-American community at an event in the Kossuth House in Washington, D.C.
The Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament also visited the National Gallery of Art. She met with Earl A. Powell, the Director of the Gallery, and Matthew Witkovsky, the Curator of "Foto: Modernity in Central Europe, 1918-1945" exhibition, sponsored by the Central Bank of Hungary, to be opened in June 2007.
With regard to President Bush's proposal concerning the reform of the Visa Waiver Program, Speaker Szili also had discussions with Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary, Paul Rosenzweig. The Speaker and Assistant Secretary Rosenzweig agreed that bilateral consultations on the technical level would be mutually beneficial and could provide the necessary information for both the US and the Hungarian government. On the last day of the visit in Washington, Ambassador Simonyi hosted a dinner in honor of Speaker Szili, with guests including Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, Archdiocese of Washington, Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart, and Pál Maléter, son of the martyr of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Ms. Szili is continuing her official visit in New York today.
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