PM Would Repay Soros Grant, if Asked

Last week government officials wreaked havoc blasting Hungarian-born billionarie George Soros and US president Barack Obama, saying they had plans to dilute Europe by dramatically increasing the proportion of Muslim migrants in Europe. He called Soros Obama's standard bearer and said the businessman was trying to prepare the way for more migrants to arrive in Europe.

This week's press briefing lacked such far fetched accusations, but led to a flurry of questions being addressed to Lázár on the issue. One queston eluded to the legality of intelligence gathering on Soros and on NGO's receiving money from him, althought the billionaire and the civil groups had done nothing illegal. The head of the Prime Minister's Office said there was nothing wrong with that practice. "The role of intelligence services is to defend a country by all means, even against the manipulition of private individuals, if those threaten its security", he asserted. 

"Through his fortunes, Soros is trying to exert influence of his views of open society, which is rejected by the majority of Hungarians and the democratically elected government alike", Lázár said, referring to a statement by the billionarie, that he is “the primary opponent” of the Orbán government, and now aims to gain political influence in Eastern European capitals, mentioning Budapest and Kiev by name. Lázár said this was totally anti-democratic.

Questions were also addressed to government spokesperson Zoltán Kovács on his grant from Soros, but he refused to give a precise figure saying it dates back to his civilian life pre-dating his political carreer. Kovács enjoyed a scholarship from a Soros foundation for eight years.

Lázár went on to say that he talked with the Prime Minister, who said he was ready to repay the scholarship that he received in 1989, if Soros asks him or other Fidesz politicians to do so. In the early 1990's Soros also provided grants for Fidesz, the fledgling liberal opposition party at the time.