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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-10-14
October 14, 1998
CONTENTS
[01] Romania's Position on Kosovo Crisis as Seen by Yugoslavia's Ambassador
to Bucharest;
[02] NATO Secretary General's Message to Romania's Prime Minister;
[03] Victor Babiuc: "We Cannot Be on Both NATO's and Milosevic's Side at
the Same Time";
[04] Humanitarian Aid for Kosovo;
[05] The Speaker of the Czech Senate on a Visit to Romania;
[06] Prime Minister Radu Vasile Is Back from Turkey;
[07] Defence Commissions in Parliament Passed CSAT Proposals on Kosovo
Crisis;
[08] Senate Proceedings;
[09] PNTCD BCCC Meeting;
[10] SRI Director under Hearing before the MP Commission Monitoring SRI
Activity;
[11] Lawyers' Strike;
[12] UNITER Communique;
[13] "Celebrations in Iassy".
[01] Romania's position on Kosovo crisis as seen by Yugoslavia's ambassador
to Bucharest
Yugoslavia's ambassador to Bucharest, Desimir Jeftic, told the press on
Tuesday that Romania broke the bilateral Treaty it signed with Belgrade
when NATO planes were allowed limited access to the Romanian airspace. The
Yugoslav diplomats recalls that article 7 in the Romanian-Yugoslav Treaty
says the two sides promise to deny the support of military operations
against one of them. According to the Yugoslav ambassador, Romania has
missed the chance of becoming a negotiator in the Kosovo conflict as it did
not adopt a position of neutrality. RADOR
[02] NATO secretary general's message to Romania's prime minister
In a message on Tuesday to Romanian Prime Minister Radu Vasile, NATO
Secretary General Javier Solana says the Alliance will further consult
Romania's representatives to Brussels as soon as any new developments
occur. The letter is praising the Romanian Government's position and
assures that the allies will carefully consider any Yugoslav attack against
one of the Partnership for Peace (PfP) countries. Mr Solana says NATO has
repeatedly insisted that the security of its member states depended on the
security of its European partners, and the partners' security was one of
NATO's direct concerns. RADOR
[03] Victor Babiuc: "We cannot be on NATO's and Milosevic's side at the
same time"
Romania's position on the crisis in Kosovo is subject to further disputes
in Bucharest. Romania's former president Ion Iliescu, the leader of the
Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR), criticised the decision of
Romania's Supreme Council for Defence (CSAT) allowing the NATO forces to
fly the Romanian airspace in case of emergency. "NATO is not supposed to
intervene in ethnic conflicts, support secessionists or remove unpopular
leaders from power", Mr Iliescu said. On the other hand, Defence Minister
Victor Babiuc said Romania should stop supporting Slobodan Milosevic or
give up any hope of becoming a NATO member: "There is only one correct
answer: we should be with NATO. We cannot be on NATO's and Milosevic's side
at the same time", minister Babiuc said. RADOR
[04] Humanitarian aid for Kosovo
The Romanian Red Cross has established contacts with its Yugoslav
counterpart and started preparations to sent humanitarian aid for the
people in Kosovo. A Red Cross communique says that a 60 million lei aid of
food is due in Kosovo shortly. RADOR
[05] The speaker of the Czech Senate on a visit to Romania
Romanian President Emil Constantinescu met the speaker of the Czech Senate,
Petr Pithart, on Tuesday. Heading a senatorial delegation, the Czech
official had talks with commissioners for foreign affairs in Romania's
parliament. As the talks focused on the situation in Kosovo, Mr Pithart
said he believed that a peaceful solution would finally end the conflict.
The meeting also concentrated on ways of developing bilateral relations.
The chief commissioner for foreign affairs in Romania's Senate, Gheorghi
Prisacaru, said that the Czech delegation reiterated President Havel's
position and said the Czech Republic supported Romania's efforts to join
NATO and promised to provide every help in this respect. RADOR
[06] Prime Minister Radu Vasile is back from Turkey
Romanian Prime Minister Radu Vasile was back to Bucharest on Tuesday
evening. He returned from the Turkish resort of Antalya where he attended a
summit of South-East-European states. While at the Otopeni Airport, he said
that the meeting was a success. Firstly, because it is for the first time
when Yugoslavia is publicly accepting the UN Security Council 1199
Resolution; secondly, because all the delegations attending the summit have
shared Romania's position and admitted that a military intervention should
be the last solution to the conflict in Kosovo, and thirdly, because
Yugoslavia accepted to sign a common declaration concerning Kosovo. The
declaration is actually pointing out that all the participants support the
1199 Resolution and urge the warring sides to fully comply with it in order
to prevent the escalation of the conflict. The end of violence is
absolutely necessary and a constructive and unconditioned dialogue should
immediately start in the attempt to seek solutions and guarantee a large
autonomy and selfrule in the Kosovo province between the borders
internationally agreed and, naturally, as part of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia whose sovereignty and territorial integrity should be supported
by all the states attending the Antalya summit. According to the document,
safe conditions to ensure the return of the refugees should be carried out.
The next Sout-East-European summit is due in Bucharest, the document
concludes. RADOR
[07] Defence commissions in parliament passed CSAT proposals on Kosovo
crisis
At their joint session on Tuesday, the commissions for defence affairs in
Romania's Parliament have passed the proposals made by Romania's Supreme
Council for Defence allowing NATO forces in the Romanian airspace as part
of NATO's military intervention in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The
opposition MPs did not attend the session as they claimed the proposals
should be reviewed. PDSR senator Radu Timofte told a press conference that
the letter of President Emil Constantinescu could not be subject to debates
in parliament as it failed to present NATO's official request to use the
Romanian airspace. The commissions for foreign affairs in Romania's
Parliament are expected to discuss the document at a meeting on Wednesday
at 8:30 AM. RADOR
[08] Senate proceedings
At its meeting on Tuesday, the Senate has started debates over the draft
law approving the Government's Emergency Ordinance 92/1997 encouraging the
foreign investments. 6 of the 18 articles in the draft law were approved.
The draft law stipulates tax relief for foreign and domestic investors who
reinvest their profits and tax cuts in the profit equal to an invested
capital of more than 1 million dollars. Under the draft law, the Romanian
Agency for Foreign Investments is to be established under the government's
control. The new body is designed to promote direct foreign investments.
Further debates over the project are expected at the Senate's next session.
RADOR
[09] PNTCD BCCC meeting
The Coordiantion and Control Bureau (BCCC) of the ruling Christian Democrat
National Peasant Party (PNTCD) met at the Parliament Palace on Tuesday.
PNTCD first vicepresident Gabriel Tepelea said the main topics in the
agenda would focus on the crisis in Kosovo and the voting to elect the
president of Romanian Television's Administration Council at the
parliament's joint session on Wednesday. PNTCD vicepresident Vasile Lupu
told the RRA he would aks the BCCC to call a meeting this session of the
party's Permanent Delegation. Mr Vasile Lupu said he would announce the
BCCC that, irrespective of the Democratic Party (PD)'s approval, the second
part of the Law on land returns would be submitted to the House of Deputies
on Thursday. RADOR
[10] SRI director under hearing before the MP commission monitoring SRI
activity
The parliamentary commission monitoring the activity of the Romanian
Intelligence Service (SR) has completed the hearing on Tuesday of SRI
director Costin Georgescu. He had to explain how the former Securitate file
of Neculai Constantin Munteanu, the PD candidate for the TVR Administration
Council's presidency, could appear in the Romanian press. Mr Georgescu told
the press he came before the commission at his own request. He said he
wanted to deny any involvement of the SRI in the affair. The SRI director
has mentioned that excerpts from the file were already published in July
1996 when the SRI allowed xerox-copies to appear in the White Book of the
Securitate. The file did not appear in the book but excerpts of it were
however published by Romanian newspapers. Mr Georgescu has insisted that
his institution was not on anyone's side in the dispute. RADOR
[11] Lawyers' strike
The Bar in Brasov has suspended any activity on Tuesday. The deputy
attorney general at the Attorney's Office with the Court of Appeal in
Brasov, Adrian Saramet, has warned that serious problems might occur in
case the lawyers would decide further strike actions on Wednesday. The
strike in Brasov follows recent protests by the Lawyers' Union in Romania
against stipulations in the new law on legal advisers' status as passed by
Romania's House of Deputies. RADOR
[12] UNITER communique
In a communique issued by the Theatrical Union in Romania (UNITER) has
expressed its regrets for the death of Stefan Haralamb, a distinguished
playwriter and editor. Born in Timisoara in 1930, Stefan Haralamb gained
his fame as journalist and playwriter in his early years. He left for the
West in 1971, first in Paris and then in New York where he started his
editorial activity. He returned to Romania since 1989 and, along with his
wife, founded the "Expansion Armonia" Publishing House dedicated to modern
Romanian playwriters. He died in Paris on October 8 and, according to the
UNITER communique, his funerals are due on October 16, at the Jewish
Cemetery in Timisoara. RADOR
[13] "Celebrations in Iassy"
The "Celebrations in Iassy" programme has opened on Tuesday with a ceremony
in Ipsilanti Street where a memorial plaque was inaugurated in memory of
music critic Iosif Sava. The ceremony was followed by an "In Memoriam Iosif
Sava" recital performed by musicians of the Iassy Philarmonic. RADOR
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