The Hungarian Ambassador hosted the annual "Mikulás"
(St. Nicholaus) Dinner of the Hungarian American Coalition today. The
keynote speaker of the evening was Congressman Tom Lantos (D-Calif.).
The dinner usually precedes the general board meeting of
the Coalition, and is traditionally hosted by the Embassy.
Congressman in his keynote speech Lantos
called on the Hungarian community to urge support in Hungary for the
trans-Atlantic relationship. He also said that he as an American-Hungarian
was proud of the relationship between the two countries and applauded the
courage of the government to stand by the U.S. in Iraq.
Ambassador Simonyi stated in his welcoming
speech that the greatest moment in 2004 for him was Hungary joining the
European Union. The saddest was when parliament failed to vote in favor of
the Government's motion to extend the stationing of Hungarian troops in
Iraq. He also said that Hungary will make a contribution through NATO and
the Hungarian flag will continue to fly in Iraq.
The crowd was pleased to hear a few songs
sang by the very talented Charity Tilleman Dick.
Outgoing Coalition chairman Zsolt Szekeres, Ambassador
and Mrs. Simonyi, Kimberly Tilleman Dick, Annette Lantos, Ambassador Nancy
Brinker and her son, Eric Brinker, Charity Tilleman Dick, incoming coalition
chairman Max Teleki, László Hámos, Congressman Tom Lantos, and Chairman
Emeritus Edith Lauer
