Even Hungary's PM doesn't know who were banned to travel to U.S. and why

Schiffer: Hungary’s capacity to act is at stake

András Schiffer, head of the caucus of green party LMP, said Hungary is in the buffer zone of two great powers and the travel ban case risks Hungary losing its capacity to act in foreign policy.

In his view, three main reasons could have led to the travel ban:

1.) The government lacks wide-scale social support despite the two-thirds legislative majority it won twice, but the LMP is willing to help Fidesz obtain this backing. He has stressed that Orbán is the one who should find out via the Government Control Office (KEHI) who are on this list. Orbán has a full mandate to do so, in Schiffer’s view.

2.) After the 2010 government change a lot of people close to the government thought it was everything goes, that they could do anything and get away with it because the two-thirds majority would vouch for everything. Schiffer said “god forbid" it turned out an external power knows more than the general public and the government because then the country can be subject to blackmail and it impedes its performance in foreign policy.

3.) Schiffer also thinks that with this great opening to the East the cabinet got more than it bargained for and is now faced with national security risks. As an example he has mentioned a case in 2012 when Orbán approved the extradition of a convicted Azeri axe murderer to Azerbaijan despite warnings by local ministries. With this kind of strategy Orbán is streering Hungary into a group of countries which “guarantees falling behind."

Schiffer also said that next week they will again submit an anti-corruption draft proposal, with a similar content an earlier proposal contained, and that they will request again investigating the NAV scandal. He has also urged Parliament to revise without delay the “Orbán-Putin pact".

Travel ban is groundless measure until reasons are revealed

State secretary Levente Magyar, representing Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó who has gone to Luxembourg for a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers, said the cabinet can take action only if Washington comes forth with evidence in this case. Until that happens the travel ban decision “needs to be regarded as an unfounded measure."

Rogán: It's all on the opposition

Antal Rogán, head of the parliamentary group of the ruling Fidesz party, referred to what he called a general series of attacks against Hungary. He has mentioned the problems surrounding Tibor Navracsics, Hungary’s commissioner-designate, whose appointment into the new EU executive for the post of commissioner for education, culture, youth and citizenship was blocked by MEPs, due to his record in a government accused of attacking civil rights. He was not fully, though, and sources say he could be given a smaller portfolio (without citizenship).Rogán said the U.S. move is highly unusual and is not a routine procedure in Europe. He has called on the opposition to stop organizing hearings and attacks against their own countries, because there are normal and establish procedures to settle disputes. The cabinet has been going through this anyhow and is ready to do so. If in disputed cases it had to make legal adjustments it had always complied too.

As regards the travel ban he stressed “we don’t even know what this is about."

He reminded that according to the U.S. Embassy in Budapest they have substantiated evidence against the persons put on the travel ban list, but if it is so Hungary is making a friendly request to the United States to reveal these concrete cases. If it does not happen, this matter is also intended to be used [by the opposition] for the same purpose as the commissioner hearings in the European Parliament, he added.

Rogán pointed out that the organisation from which they allegedly want to expel Hungary (Community of Democracies) has Mátyás Eörsi as senior adviser. (Eörsi was the leader of the liberal Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (ALDE-PACE) Group in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), among other posts he has held.)

Rogán asked those affected not to organise newer and newer attacks against Hungary but accept the result of three elections won by Fidesz.

Lázár: We must have gas!

As regards Hungary’s policy of opening to the East Lázár said they have been acting responsibly and taking steps for the supply security of the country since this is what the government has taken an oath for. Lázár reminded that it is about the heating of nearly four million households, i.e. how it can be solved to ensure gas heating in the country from this autumn until next spring.

(If Index is right and the travel ban is related to political corruption linked to VAT frauds then this argument will be rather “off topic.")

Lázár stressed PM Orbán has sent Foreign Minister Szijjártó to Washington and him to Berlin to meet the head of the chancellery to gather information about this specific matter.

He also said the cabinet is not aware of criminal offenses but is ready to conduct investigations to find out the truth. This and Rogán’s comments suggest the government may be willing to find (point out) some of those responsible.

Lázár: Friend asking friend for friendly facts

Lázár reiterated to fellow MPs in Parliament what he has said earlier today at a hearing of the national security committee.He said Hungary and the United States are close strategic allies, partners and are ties by friendship. He added we are a small country and a small people and need the help of the USA, because even the Hungarian government - including Viktor Orbán and Mihály Varga - does not know who is on the list of people banned from entering the U.S. and why they have been put there.

Whereas the cabinet takes note of the ban, which is a sovereign right of the USA, Hungary is turning for friendly help to the USA, asking it “to inform it as a true friend why all this is happening."

Lázár also responded to Socialist Party (MSZP) MP Tamás Harangozó’s remark by saying that in Hungarians’ mind “corruption equals the MSZP" and “if you had not been so corrupt we would not have gained two-thirds [majority in the elections] twice." He also said “the most corrupt political party was the MSZP since the change of regime."

President of the republic János Áder has also spoken in Parliament today, but he has only summarized the lessons from a climate summit he has attended and has not addressed the travel ban scandal at all.

According to a report by Index, Lázár found it a good initiative by opposition MP Bernadett Szél that state officials, including the President of tax authority NAV, should be asked personally whether they are involved [i.e. are on the list] or not.

Lázár: Hungary cosy with Russia only for the gas

“It would not even occur to us to protect anyone," Lázár said. The minister said he was certain it is about a concrete case and the sanction was put in place not because of the Hungarian government’s foreign policy and foreign trade vision. However, if it becomes necessary to interpret the Russian-Hungarian relationship, Budapest is ready to do that too, acknowledging that Hungarian diplomacy might not have made everything to clear up some misunderstandings.

“I firmly reject that we are in a love affair with Russia. Hungary has interests and its most important interest is independence," he said.

We stand in need of the USA and we are dependent on Russia. They must take note of this in Berlin and Washington too. If we want Hungarian households to have gas in December, we have to use every resource there is, Lázár added.

Lázár also said no state official has indicated so far that he or she is subject to the travel ban. They do not have any obligation to reports any such development, though.

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