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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-10-20
October 20, 1998
CONTENTS
[01] Senate Proceedings;
[02] House of Deputies Proceedings;
[03] President Constantinescu Has Signed Privatisation Minister Sorin
Dimitriu's Removal;
[04] Romanian Government Communique;
[05] A Statement of the PNTCD Leader;
[06] Financial Guard Chief Resigned;
[07] SPP Law Promulgated;
[08] Rectors Protest against Petofi-Schiller University Setting Up;
[09] PAR Press Conference;
[10] Warning Strike of Education Trade Unions;
[11] Fourth Strikeday for Miners in Barza-Brad;
[12] Prime Minister Radu Vasile Goes to Brussels;
[13] Romanian-Lithuanian Military Cooperation Agreement;
[14] Romania's Embassy in Budapest Seeking an Audience with Hungarian
Foreign Ministry;
[15] Romanian-French Aerial Exercise in Constantza.
[01] Senate proceedings
At its session on Monday, the Romanian Senate has passed a series of
ordinances designed to improve activity in the National Defence Ministry
(MApN). Such ordinances include Ordinance 42 higher pay for military
personnel and wages forOcivilians working with the Defence Department. Many
senators have blamed the Hungarian supporters for their attitude during the
Romania-Hungary football game in Budapest last week. Some of the speeches
referred to the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR)'s
demand concerning the setting up of a Hungarian language teaching state
university - an idea which senators of most political parties in parliament
claimed it was segregating and unsuitable. RADOR
[02] House of Deputies proceedings
At their meeting on Monday, the Romanian deputies have passed a number of
articles in the draft law to adopt the ordinance on disfavoured areas
regime. The ordinance provides a special status, mainly on fiscal matters,
for the people living in areas most affected by unemployment following
closedown , restructuring or privatisation. RADOR
[03] President Constantinescu has signed Privatisation Minister Sorin
Dimitriu's removal
Romania's President Emil Constantinescu has signed a pOesidential decree
dismissing Privatisation Minister Sorin Dimitriu from the job following the
minister's resignation and recommendation by Prime Minister Radu Vasile.
The president has appointed the prime minister to run the Privatisation
Ministry as acting minister until a new minister will be designated
according to law. Quoted by the RRA, a press communique issued by the
Romanian Presidency says that, at the meeting between President
Constantinescu and minister Dimitriu on Monday afternoon, the president has
praised Mr Dimitriu for his big efforts to run the ministry at such a
difficult time. RADOR
[04] Romanian Government communique
The Romanian Government says it has considered Sorin Dimitriu's resignation
from his position as privatisation minister and Prime Minister Radu Vasile
has ordered legal procedures to appoint a new minister. A Romanian
Government communique says the prime minister has designated Radu Sarbu to
act as president of the State Ownership Fund (FPS).(RAOOR)
[05] A statement of the PNTCD leader
The leader of the Christian Democrat National Peasant Party (PNTCD), Ion
Diaconescu, also speaker of Romania's House of Deputies, said the press
played a major role in removing Privatisation Minister Sorin Dimitriu from
his job. Mr Diaconescu said his party expressed its support for minister
Dimitriu while other ministers are criticised by colleagues in their own
parties. Ion Diaconescu has admitted that other ministries and the
parliament were both to blame for the delays in the privatisation process.
RADOR
[06] Financial Guard chief resigned
The head of Romania's Financial Guard, Stefan Parvan, has sumitted his
resignation to the prime minister on Friday, October 16. In a phone
interview, Mr Parvan said his decision was final, but he refused to explain
the reasons. RADOR
[07] SPP Law promulgated
Romanian President Emil Constantinescu promulgated the Law on the setting
up and coordination of the Presidential Guard and Protection SeOvice (SPP).
According to law, the SPP is a state military structure assuming national
security duties in the national defence system. A Romanian Presidency
communique says the SPP is coordinated by Romania's Supreme Council for
Defence (CSAT) under parliament control. RADOR
[08] Rectors protest against Petofi-Schiller University setting up
The president of the National Council of Rectors has announced the decision
made at the rectors' National Conference in Galatzi last weekend concerning
the government order concerning the setting up of the Petofi-Schiller
University in Romania. As representatives of Romania's academic community,
the rectors absolutely disapprove the ruling and call for a review of the
document which is breaking the Constitution as a first step to segregated
higher education on ethnic criteria with serious consequences, for the
national security included. The Romanian rectors express their support for
country's National Education Ministry (MEN) and Education MinOster Andrei
Marga in their attempt to promote the multicultural education at university
level, the Romanian language teaching included. RADOR
At the National Conference in Galatzi, the Romanian rectors have decided to
address an official appeal to Romania's Constitutional Court and call for a
ruling on the Government Order 687/ October 2, 1998 and its legality
according to Constitution. The RRA says that, in case the Romanian
officials will ignore the appeal, the rectors have decided to address
international bodies in the field and call an extraodinary meeting of their
National Council next month to examine the results of the move. RADOR
[09] PAR press conference
The leadership of Romania's Alternative Party (PAR) believes that Sorin
Dimitriu's dismissal as FPS president and privatisation minister should
have happened a long time ago. PAR first vicepresident Adrian Iorgulescu
told a press conference on Monday that the FPS did keep neither the
promises nor the obligationsOit assumed. On the other hand, the PAR leaders
believe that the Babes-Bolyai and other Transylvanian universities are able
to cover the needs of the minority youth. The PAR expresses its solidarity
with the MEN efforts in this respect and the arguments of Education
Minister Andrei Marga. RADOR
[10] Warning strike of education trade unions
A warning strike by trade unions representing secondary school and
university teachers has been carried out on Monday between 11 AM and 1 PM.
The teachers' main demands referred to stipulations in the recent Emergency
Ordinance allowing a 1,053 billion lei cut in the budget for eduaction.
Participants in the strike included the Agronomy University, the Bucharest
Polytechnic, the Building Faculty and three faculties of the Bucharest
University: Physics, Chemistry and Foreign Languages. Alma Mater Trade
Union Federation leader Razvan Bobulescu has announced that participants in
the strike also included the Gheorghe Asachi University and the MediOine
university in Iassy, the Lower Danube University in Galatzi, Ovidius
University in Constantza, Transylvania University in Brasov and the Babes-
Bolyai and Polytechnic in Cluj-Napoca. The president of the Education Free
Trade Unions, Aurel Cornea, said that 75-80% of the secondary school
teachers in 36 counties participated in the strike while the leader of the
Spiru Haret Trade Union Federation in Braila, Corneliu Caranica, has warned
that the situation of the Romanian education was similar to an earthquake
of 7 degrees on Richter scale because of growing discontent and anger
stored up since 1990, MEN public relations officer said the education
minister renewed his appeal to the government and asked it to allow higher
wages for teachers in rural areas - some 15 billion lei - starting with
December 1. RADOR
[11] Fourth strikeday for miners in Barza-Brad
The 2,300 miners in the Barza-Brad mine have entered their fourth day of
strike on Monday in protest against partially unpaOd wages. The leader of
the Free Trade Union, Florin Cazacu, said the miners were unpaid. A
delegation of the Copper Autonomous Utility in Deva, led by its director
general, is seeking solutions for a 100% pay. Otherwise, the miners may
travel to Deva on Tuesday and organise a rally before the Copper Autonomous
Utility headquarters. RADOR
[12] Prime Minister Radu Vasile goes to Brussels
Romania's Prime Minister Radu Vasile left for Brussels on Monday for talks
with NATO Secretary General Javier Solana, European Commission President
Jacques Santer and Belgian Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene. Before leaving
Bucharest, the prime minister said the visit was as much important as his
previous visit to Washington and the EU was clearly expressing its wish to
help Romania survive its current difficulties. In this respect, a
cooperation formula was established between the European Union on one hand,
and the World Bank and the IMF on the other, on condition of taugh
privatisation and resOructuring measures to be announced shortly. Prime
Minister Vasile is expected to address the Western European Union Council
in Brussels. RADOR
[13] Romanian-Lithuanian military cooperation agreement
A military cooperation agreement was signed between the Romanian and
Lithuanian defence ministers in Bucharest on Monday. The document signed by
Romanian Defence Minister Victor Babiuc and Lithuanian Defence Minister
Cheslovas Stankevicius refers to defence and security policies, military
and defence legislation, arms control and disarmament, participation in aid
and peacekeeping operations and joint training exercises as part of the
Partnership for Peace programme. According to minister Babiuc, the two
officials have agreed to insist on concrete and permanent steps to the
"open door policy" the NATO officials were claiming because otherwise,
NATO's credibility would deteriorate. The Lithuanian minister said his
country's wish to become a NATO member would be a guarantee of both
LiOhuania and Russia's security. In his opinion, Russia was no more against
the NATO expansion. The NATO enlargement is not designed against Russia as
there are closer relations between Russia and NATO, and Romania and
Lithuania can both develop such relations, as NATO members included,
Romanian Defence Minister Victor Babiuc concluded. RADOR
[14] Romania's embassy in Budapest seeking an audience with Hungarian
Foreign Ministry
The Romanian embassy in Budapest has asked for an audience with the
Hungarian Foreign Ministry to express disappointemt following incidents
during the Romania-Hungary football game on October 14. Romania Foreign
Ministry (MAE) spokewoman Carmen Podgoreanu said there were complaints
about the poor efficiency of the Hungarian police, attacks against Romanian
supporters, vehicules destroyed and chauvinistic attitudes during the game.
RADOR
[15] Romanian-French aerial exercise in Constantza
The first Romanian-French aerial training exercise opened on Monday Ot the
Mikhail Kogalniceanu Air Base in the Romanian south-eastern county of
Constantza and its neighbourhood. The five-day event follows a protocol
signed between the two countries and includes search and low-flying
exercises, aerobatics and aircombat exercises. RADOR
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