The main opposition Socialists and the small opposition LMP parties have called the ruling Fidesz party's plans to set up a body for settling Hungary's communist past a diversion from any real attempt to address the issue.

Last week Schiffer filed a motion for parliament to dedicate a day to debating secret-service files and agents of Hungary's communist past. He said the debate should focus on failed attempts during the past twenty years to open up the files of former agents to the public, as well as on the "moral burdens and unfairness Hungarian democracy has been carrying" since 1989/90.
Fidesz had earlier said it supported the initiative, but has not yet officially given its signature to the request. According to parliament's house rules, a parliamentary debate requires the signatures of 20 percent of all deputies, or 78 MPs, in order to be held.
Socialist party leader Attila Mesterhazy said on a press conference that his party supports the parliamentary debate and will sign the petition for it. He added that Fidesz's move for setting up an investigation committee was a diversion from the parliamentary debate issue. He also said the Socialists found Lazar's remarks about Schiffer's family unacceptable.
Both Mesterhazy and Schiffer raised concern over the independence of the members to be chosen to sit on the investigation committee to be set up.
Istvan Varga, a Fidesz lawmaker, said he rejected Schiffer's remarks that the committee was set up on opposition pressure, as it was widely-known that plans for such a committee had been part of legislation past last December.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban told a news conference earlier on this day that the government will prepare legislation for establishing a committee to investigate communist-era crimes by May 15. The so-called National Remembrance Committee would be given the task of identifying leaders of the communist dictatorship and determining the degree and nature of their responsibility for the crimes.

mti/mesterhazyattila.hu