Past Events 2006
Congressman Lantos on U.S.-Hungarian Relations
In his press conference in Budapest on July 7, 2006, Congressman Tom Lantos said that U.S.- Hungarian relations have never been stronger or better than today. He emphasized that during the past couple of months, three events expressed the high esteem in which the United States holds the Hungarian people's love of freedom and democracy and their perseverance in fighting for them: first the State Department, then the U.S. Congress, honored the Hungarian revolution of 1956, and recently President Bush's visit paid tribute to the heroes of '56.
Congressman Lantos congratulated the present Hungarian government for its courage in implementing reforms necessary to strengthen the economy, to make Hungary remain competitive in the region and to continue to attract foreign investment. In addition to issues of bilateral importance, he also talked about the most recent global developments.
Answering questions of the media on the recent Supreme Court ruling against the use of military tribunals to try prisoners held in Guantanamo, Congressman Lantos praised the system of checks and balances, the self-correcting mechanism of the U.S. government which swings into action if a branch of power, including the President, makes a mistake. He said that the judiciary branch will force the administration to change its policies in certain matters or request legislation from Congress.