The
Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, Ms. Katalin Szili, is on a
week-long visit to the U.S. Earlier this week in New York, she participated
at the Annual Award Dinner of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation at the
invitation of Rabbi Arthur Schneier, and met
with businesspeople and members of the Manhattan Hungarian Network. In
Washington, D.C., she met with Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage
and NSC Senior Director Ambassador Daniel Fried. She had talks in Congress
with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi,
Committee on International Relations chairman Henry Hyde, and Ranking
Minority Member Tom Lantos. She also met with representatives of the local
Hungarian-American community. She discussed with her interlocutors questions
related to Hungary's visa situation. She had an exchange of views on the
human rights situation in the West Balkans, including in the Vojvodina
region of Serbia. Ms. Szili also spoke about Hungary's role in the
stabilization and democratization of Iraq, including Hungary's presence in
Iraq and its contribution to the coalition.
In
Houston yesterday, Ms. Szili met with the Speaker of the of Texas House of
Representatives, Mr. Thomas Craddick. Ms. Szili and Mr. Craddick discussed
business opportunities between Texas and Hungary. Ms. Szili invited the Texas Speaker to
visit Hungary and Mr. Craddick, in his turn, asked Ms. Szili to act as
Texas' goodwill ambassador in Europe.
She
gave a speech to Houston's business and opinion leaders at a World Affairs
Council lunch about Hungary and bilateral relations with the U.S. In the
afternoon, she opened Hungary's new honorary consulate in Houston and
presented the new honorary consul, Mr. Phillip Aronoff, with the honorary
consular commission. A
representative of the Houston City Council, present at the opening ceremony,
presented Ms. Szili with a document proclaiming her an honorary citizen of
Houston.
In
Austin, Ms. Szili had lunch with the Chairman of
the Board of the Regions of the University of Texas and met with Texas
Attorney General Gregg Abbott. She also visited Sematech, a leading Texas
high-tech company.
Click
here for more pictures of Ms. Szili's visit.
