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Peres Makes Surprise Visit to Budapest

May 9, 1988
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Foreign Minister Shimon Peres made an unannounced visit to Budapest on Sunday for talks with Hungarian leaders, Israel Television disclosed Sunday night.

Peres left unexpectedly Friday night for Zurich. He will visit Madrid later this week to attend a session of the Socialist International and will then go to the United States for a scheduled meeting with President Reagan next week.

But his stopover in the Hungarian capital aroused the most interest here. His talks in Budapest are the first on such a high level in the more than two decades since Hungary severed diplomatic ties with Israel during the Six-Day War.

According to Israel Television, the visit must have received prior informal consent from the Soviet Union.

Israel and Hungary established interest section in Budapest and Tel Aviv respectively last year. It is the lowest level of diplomatic representation. Peres’s visit may have strengthened the prospects for full diplomatic ties.

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