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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-05-15
May 15, 1998
CONTENTS
[01] Debates Around 1998 Budget;
[02] Cabinet Meeting;
[03] PNL Press Conference;
[04] Fadel Mohamed Was Arrested and Then Released the Same Day;
[05] President Constantinescu Criticised Discrimination Among East-European
States Applying for EU and NATO;
[06] Romanian-Turkish Press Conference;
[07] Governors and Mayors of Black Sea Capitals Met for the Third Time;
[08] Hungarian Foreign Minister Against Entry Visas for Romanians.
[01] Debates around 1998 Budget
Meeting in a joint session on Thursday, the two Houses in Romanian
Parliament have adopted the first article in the draft Budget for 1998. The
article provides 75,044 billion lei revenues, 87,902 billion lei spendings
and a 12,858 billion lei deficit. Further debates are expected to resume in
the plenum next Tuesday. RADOR
[02] Cabinet meeting
At a press conference on Thursday, Romanian Government Spokesman Razvan
Popescu has announced that the draft law amending and completing the local
election law was delayed. He explained that the ministers could not find
any solution to the case of voters having new identity cards where normal
stamps were useless. The Government has adopted however the draft law
amending and completing the Law 51/1995 on lawyers. The law provides
regulations concerning both the profession of lawyer and legal assistance
by foreign lawyers. The Cabinet has also adopted the draft law suspending
the Decree-Law 7/1989 on the repatriation of Romanian citizens and former
Romanian citizens. The Government has decided the setting up of new
faculties in the University of Pitesti and Valachia University of
Targoviste. Another Government decision refers to new technical-economic
investment plans for the Bucharest-Constantza motorway, namely the route
connecting the cities of Fetesti, Cernavoda and Constantza. RADOR
[03] PNL press conference
The First Vicepresident of the ruling National Liberal Party (PNL), Valeriu
Stoica, believes that recent differences between Customs Director Nini
Sapunaru and Dan Radu Rusanu, Secretary of State with the Finance Ministry
can be solved. At a PNL press conference on Thursday, Mr Stoica said the
conflict did not involve two people, but two institutions. He informed that
both Mr Sapunaru and Mr Rusanu were asked to solve their differences or
suffer the consequences as stipulated in the PNL statute. PNL Senators
Alexandru Mortun and Paul Pacuraru have announced that they submitted to
the Permanent Bureau of the Senate the project amending the Law 68/1992 on
elections in the Senate and the House of Deputies. The senators propose
individual voting, a 5% electoral threshold for single parties in both
Houses in Parliament and an additional 2% for coalition parties second to
the main party in the coalition. RADOR
[04] Fadel Mohamed was arrested and then released the same day
Military prosecutors have suspended the arrest warrant they issued on the
name of Fadel Mohamed. Thursday morning, the Iraqi citizen was arrested but
then released in the afternoon following a decision made by the
prosecutors. The owner of "Cristi Prodimex" company, Nicolae Nastase, was
arrested on Thursday under the accusation of tax evasion. Former SPP
Colonel Gheorghe Trutulescu was subject to further hearings on Thursday.
RADOR
[05] President Constantinescu criticised discrimination among East-European
states applying for EU and NATO membership
While in Berlin, Romanian President Emil Constantinescu has criticised the
discrimination among East-European states applying for EU and NATO
membership. At a conference organised by DEUTSCHLAND RADIO and the
"Frankfurter Allgemeine" newspaper on Thursday, the Romanian president said
the Western attitude widened the gap between applicants and encouraged
extremism. The president has also criticised those who believed the economy
was the very ground of a community. "We should not support morals promoting
the market as the only value while neglecting the value of human solidarity
and social relations", the president said. RADOR
[06] Romanian-Turkish press conference
At a joint press conference following official bilateral talks on Thursday,
Romanian Foreign Minister Andrei Plesu and his Turkish counterpart Ismail
Cem have expressed their will to initiate a political and economic
strategic partnership. The two officials have expressed their hope that
trade between the two countries could hit up to 1 billion dollars this
year. Another topic referred to gas and oil transport corridors from the
Caspian Sea as both countries shared similar interests in the matter. The
military cooperation between the two countries was seen as excellent, the
cooperation within the multimational peace-keeping force in South- East-
Europe included. The Turkish minister pointed out that Ankara's support of
Romania's NATO membership was not simple rhetoric as Turkey was really
interested in securing stability in the region. RADOR
[07] Governors and mayors of Black Sea capitals met for the third time
The third meeting of governors and mayors in Black Sea capitals has opened
on Thursday at the Parliament Palace in Bucharest. Participants include
delegates of local authorities in 11 member countries of the Black Sea
economic cooperation area. Opening speeches were made by Senate Speaker
Petre Roman, House of Deputies Speaker Ion Diaconescu, the Prefect of
Bucharest Ion Iordan and the Mayor of Bucharest Viorel Lis. They all have
mentioned that the meeting was aimed at extending the cooperation between
local authorities of the Black Sea states. A statute is to be adopted at
the end of the meeting. RADOR
[08] Hungarian foreign minister against entry visas for Romanians
While reporting of Hungary's EU accession negotiations, Foreign Minister
Laszlo Kovacs said that, as the country was to become a EU member and
introduce entry visas, the Hungarian diplomats should take all the measures
to get Romania out of the black list of countries needing EU such visas.
The statement was made at a session in Hungarian Parliament on Thursday.
Both ruling and opposition parties have shared the opinion. RADOR
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