Thursday, February 26, 2004
THE PENDULUM
• Page 13
Jessica Patchett
Lditor in Lhiet
Liszlo Molnar is a man with vision. Bom in
Budapest, Hungaiy, Molnar reflects on his life’s
woik thus far and finds that New Yoric City has
become his second home, and the world his
office. His coworicers are leaders of the intema-
tional community, presidents and prime minis
ters, ambassadors and leaders of multi-lateral
organizations. His current task: to find among
them new approaches to one of the world’s
most explosive issues.
Ambassador Molndr is the Permanent
Representative of the Republic of Hungary to
the United Nations and the Chairman of the
Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) for the
2005 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Molndr was at Elon on Friday to discuss his
special PrepCom assignment with students and
faculty.
“By itself, it is the mother of all treaties,
which deals witli all aspects of nuclear eneigy -
peaceful and non-peaccful,” Molndr said.,
Molnar has held several positions in Hungary’s
foreign ministry, one specifically overseeing the
issue of non-proliferation and nuclear amis con
trol.
Molndr’s current assignment to serve
PrepCom parallels the treaty’s five-year cycle in
which several preparatory meetings culminate
in the 2005 Review Conference of the NPT.
Molnar was the chairman of the second of three
intemational reviews of the NPT last spring and
he will preside as vice chairman at the last
preparatory meeting April 26 in New Yoric.
Molndr’s commitment to finding solutions
to problems posed by the treaty is evident in his
frequent travels around the world. He said his
vision for PrepCom is to strengthen the current
treaty review process in light of recent events
concerning Korea, Iran and other nations, he
says.
‘The integrity of the treaty is in danger,
Molnar says, explaining that his work is urgent
His itinerary for the next year is littered with
visits to various multilateral organizations,
nations smd groups meeting in regards to non
proliferation. Molndr’s term as PrepCom chair
man ends with the conference in 2005.
But Molndr’s commitment to protecting and
strengthening the treaty transcends the time he
is assigned to PrepCom. Already, Molndr has
the foresight to prepare the next chairman to
continue woric on this project
“I represent the institution of memory for the
next chaimian because to that time I am the
caretaker,” Molnar says. “Now I go to Europe
to talk to NATO, then to France, then Geneva -
it is a veiy special assignment”
Molreir takes this special assignment during
his term as pemianent ambassador to the U.N.
in New Yoric, which ends this year. This is
Molndr’s 12th year in New Yoric, following
other posts as deputy ambassador of the
Republic of Hungaiy to the UN and Consul
^^ral of the Republic of Hungary in New
Yoric.
“It was my intenuon as a student to joirt the
foreign seivioe,” says Molndr. “It came when I
was 20 or so ... I consider myself extremely
hic^ beca^ I have had very nice positions
both abroad and in the ministry in Budapest”
Molndr’s current position is one of newspa
per headlines and intematiraial influence - one
that Molndr appears comfortable in as he
speaks calmly and intentionally about his regu
lar tasks.
“It is a coIcmM and complex job because the
in each issue.
“This role is increasingly being defined by
the position of the EU, but there arc still many
other working areas where we can represent our
own national positions such as peacekeeping,
conflict prevention, post conflict peacem;iking,
hunger, aids, development in AIDS awareness.”
Molnar emphasizes his people’s desire to
reach the donor status in intemational relations.
“Up to now, we have been on the receiving
side. Now we want to be on the giving side,”
Molndr said.
As Hungary strives to revolutionize its status
as a receiving country, Molndr worics to provide
insight into other aspects of the Hungarian for
eign ministry, such as the hfelong work of an
ambassador.
“We are trying to establish a system in the
foreign ministiy more like that of the U.S. One
that is more transparent,” Molndr said.
Molndr’s career in the foreign service will
come to a turning point at the end of this year
following the 2005 Review Conference.
‘This conference is not determining my
career as such. I will most probably go back to
my country and serve in the foreign ministry,”
Molndr says. “Budapest is my hometown and it
is a beautiful place - that is where I belong to.”
But Molndr has other options, as well.
“I think of leaving the foreign ministry and
going to the academic life. I love to teach. I
think it is a very healthy way of doing a new
duty for a couple of years. If I can woric this out,
I can write a book and teach and then go back-
like a sabbatical.”
Molnar is in high demand around the world.
Other intemational organizations have indicat
ed that they would propose a post for Molndr.
The one sector Molnar will not consider
private business.
“I am a civil servant,” he says, Molnar’s his
tory, from the time he envisioned a career in the
Hungarian foreign ministry, is in intemational
relations.
Molndr graduated from the University of
Economic Sciences in Budapest 1982 and
applied for a post in the ministiy of foreign
affairs. After taking the entry exam, Molnar was
not immediately accepted and woriced for a uni
versity instead as an assistant professor.
After obtaining a Ph.D. in intemational rela
tions in 1989, Molndr joined the ministry and
was assigned to Vienna as a member of the
Hungarian Delegation to the Negotiations on
Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. He
returned to Hungary to work in the ministry
before serving in New York, where he did post
doctorate studies at the Fletcher School at Tufts
University and the JFK School of Diplomacy at
Harvard.
Molndr now has two children, a son, 17,
who lives in Hungary, and a daughter, 21, who
is studying intemational relations in New York.
“Periiaps she will do the same thing I am
doing,” Molndr says.
Although a man of vision, as a fatlier and a
world leader, Molndr often takes the role of lis
tener and facilitator. Just as Molndr can only
lead PrepCom and the 2005 review Conference
of the NPT so far with proposals of what he sees
and what he hears, Molndr says he will allow
his daughter to choose whether she will join
him in an ofllce that spans continents.
Contact Jessica Patchett at
pendulum@elon.edu or 278-7247.
Destination Spring
Break
Elon students share their
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See story p. 14
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Molnar makes commitment to protecting nuclear treaty
Jessica Patchett / Photographer
Dean Burbridge (right) was Laszio Molnar's faculty host during his visit to Elon. MolnAr is cur
rently serving as the Chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the 2005 Reviev^/ Conference
of the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty.
U.N. has a broad range of issues,” he said. “My
main role is to represent my country’s position