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June 14, 2011
welcome dinner for journalists Clare M. Gillis and James Foley
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On June 13, Ambassador Szapáry hosted a welcome dinner for Clare
M. Gillis and James Foley, the two American journalists who,
with the help of Hungarian Ambassador to Libya Béla Marton,
recently returned from Tripoli after long weeks of captivity.
The Hungarian Embassy in Washington initiated Hungary’s
assistance in freeing the journalists. Senator Jeanne Shaheen
(D-NH) and Congressman Elton Gallegly (R-CA), who have been in
touch with the Ambassador during the critical weeks of the
journalists’ captivity, as well as their families and
colleagues, were also present at the “homecoming” dinner.
Journalists from the Washington Post, USA Today and Foreign
Policy and the Washington Bureau Chief of NBC News also
participated in the dinner.
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Participants of the dinner at the Residence of the Hungarian
Ambassador |
The
journalists gave a firsthand account of the circumstances of their
imprisonment and the situation in Libya from their perspective. Clare
and James along with their parents as well as Senator Shaheen and
Congressman Gallegly expressed their renewed thanks for all the help and
assistance offered by Hungary and the Hungarian diplomats on the ground
in Libya.
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(from left to right) Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Hungarian
Ambassador György Szapáry |
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(from left to right) Hungarian Diplomat Anna Stumpf and
Congressman Elton Gallegly |
Ambassador Szapáry pointed out that the assistance given by our
Ambassador and consul in Tripoli was offered without an official request
by the US and was a natural, humanitarian gesture. The Hungarian Embassy
in Tripoli, which represents the European Union in Libya, has since been
asked by the U.S. government to represent the U.S. interests in the
country.
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Hungarian Ambassador György Szapáry with the families of
American Journalists Clare M. Gillis and James Foley |
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