AMBASADA AMERIKANE NE HUNGARI REFUZON VIZAT PER ZYRTARET HUNGAREZE TE PERFSHIRE NE AFERA KORRUPTIVE - shkruan Wall Street Journal... Nje histori qe shume shpejt do te perfshije edhe Shqiperine dhe vendet e tjera te Ballkanit Perendimor... __________________________ The Wall Street Journal October 17, 2014 1:11 PM The US Cancels Visas for Hungarians Involved in Corruption By VERONIKA GULYAS M. Andre Goodfriend, US charge d’affaires of the US Embassy in Budapest answers a journalist’s question in Budapest during his press briefing. Several Hungarian state officials have been banned from entering the US for “engaging in corruption,” he said, a move likely to further strain frayed relations with EU member Hungary. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images The State Department refused entry to the U.S. to several Hungarians because it said they had been involved in corruption, once more highlighting tensions between the U.S. administration and the feisty government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. In a statement issued by Charge’d affairs M. Andre Goodfriend the embassy said the US canceled the visas on the basis of “credible information that those persons are either engaging in or benefiting from corruption.” The State Department didn’t disclose the names of the individuals. Mr. Goodfriend said there were less than 10 and some of them were state officials. Hungary’s foreign affairs and trade ministry summoned Mr. Goodfriend earlier Friday to provide information on the cases but the embassy didn’t offer information saying it was confidential, the charge’d affairs said at a press conference Friday afternoon. Neither the Hungarian government nor the ministry were immediately available to reply to questions from The Wall Street Journal. “No one is above the law,” the embassy said. “The U.S. shares Hungary’s view of ‘zero tolerance’ of corruption. Addressing corruption requires a healthy system of checks, balances and transparency.” The U.S. has earlier been voicing criticism of Hungary’s policies under Mr. Orban, who said earlier this year he looked up to some countries like Turkey or Singapore that were autocratic but in their own ways successful. The ministry in a statement issued earlier Friday said both Hungary and the U.S. are interested in shedding light on suspected corruption cases, and to allow thorough, appropriate, transparent investigation in line with the law. “Hungarian officers perform their work independently of any pressure,” the ministry said. Local news portal 444.hu said, citing unnamed sources, that some U.S. companies that are engaged in business in Hungary were offered participation in state tenders funded by the European Union on the condition that certain advisers would be employed or Hungarian companies involved as subcontractors. The U.S. government action related to Hungarian individuals is not a Hungary-specific measure, the embassy also said, but part of an intensified U.S. focus on combating corruption as a fundamental obstacle to good governance, transparency and democratic value.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 15:22:43 +0000