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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-12-11
December 11, 1998
CONTENTS
[01] Seminar Dedicated to the 50-th Anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights;
[02] Civic Alliance Press Communique;
[03] Senate Proceedings;
[04] House of Deputies Proceedings;
[05] President Constantinescu Met Romanian Magistrates;
[06] Government Order Cancelled;
[07] Attempts to End Differences Between Majority and Opposition;
[08] BNS Protest Rally;
[09] Protest March of IAR Brasov Workers.
[01] Seminar dedicated to the 50-th anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights
A seminar dedicated to the 50-th anniversary of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights has been taking place at the Senate on Thursday. In his
opening speech, the speaker of the Senate, Mr Petre Roman, pointed out that
Romania had witnessed and still was witnessing the adoption of legal
documents on human rights issues, and the evolution of the Romanian people
was related to the revival of the country's democracy. Petre Roman said it
was the Romanian Parliament who was supposed to promote and support the
human rights principles. In her turn, the UN delegate to Romania, Mrs L.
Miller, said the human rights of today ceased to be just a number of ideas,
but they were now defending the people who really needed protection. Mrs
Miller said the first national strategy designed to fight poverty - a
strategy drawn up by the government with the UN support - proved that the
process of reform should continue to avoid a growing number of people
unable to afford a decent life. Participants in the seminar also included
presidential and government representatives, MPs, ambassadors of the EU
countries, the US and Canada along with representatives of international
bodies and NGOs. RADOR
The RRA reports that, in his message to the seminar on Thursday, Romanian
President Emil Constantinescu said Romania chose decisively and hopefully
to live in a world of freedom, dialogue, diversity and understanding.
RADOR
[02] Civic Alliance press communique
The Civic Alliance (AC) has issued a press communique gratefully welcoming
the 50-th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights whose
role in promoting democracy in the world was undeniable. The Civic Alliance
says the event is an oppostunity to remind the international bodies that,
among other human rights abuses, the recent developments in the self-
procalimed Dnestrian Republic are most serious as four Moldovan militants
are illegally detained for six years and a half on fake charges. One of
them, Ilie Ilascu, was sentenced to death five years ago, and he was now
emprisoned despite his two consecutive mandates as deputy in the parliament
of the Republic of Moldova and despite the efforts made in support of his
release. The other three are also serving hard prison terms. The AC
expresses the hope that the anniversary on December 10 may be a new start
in the efforts to end this outrageously unjust treatment. RADOR
[03] Senate proceedings
The draft law on general regime of local autonomy and on organising the
local public administration - two fileds where, according to the EU, the
reform was delayed - has been subject to emergency debates in the Senate on
Thursday. Referring to the law, Cristian Dumitrescu, a senator representing
the Democratic Party (PD), said "the law was really crucial in organising
the local public administration according to modern principles". The
senator said "the descentralisaton and the growing role of the local
autonomy were consequently increasing the role of the elected democratic
institutions such as the local councils, the mayors and the deputy mayors.
Some changes were designed to increase the role of the minorities in areas
where they represented more than 20 per cent of the population". Mr
Dumitrescu explained that the local autonomy principles had no connection
with the rights of a certain minority, with ethnic reasons or local
interests as the whole country was expected to benefit from them. RADOR
[04] House of Deputies proceedings
Further debates were reported in the House of Deputies on Thursday
following the Opposition's request of an additional seat in the mediation
commission set up to solve differences concerning the ordinance amending
and completing the Education Law. According to a decision by the Permanent
Bureau, the ruling Christian Democrat National Peasant Party (PNTCD) and
the opposition Party for Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR) have two seats
each while the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Social Democrat Union
(USD) and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) have
one seat each. After fierce debates, disrupted by consultations between the
MPs, the plenum has rejected the Opposition's request with 79 votes for, 59
against and 33 abstentions. Consequently, the Opposition has announced it
no more attended the proceedings of the mediation commission. RADOR
[05] President Constantinescu met Romanian magistrates
The secretary general of the Magistrates Association, Viorica Costiniu,
said that, at a meeting on Wednesday evening, the magistrates have asked
president Constantinescu to reconsider his statement in Oslo when he made a
series of accusations against the judiciary. The magistrates have presented
the president with the reforms in the judiciary, the deffficiencies in the
legal framework, the cases of intervention in judiciary affairs, and they
asked the president to persuade the government and the parliament to fulfil
the duties they owe to the judiciary. According to a communique issued by
the Romanian Presidency, the head of state, as guarantor of the judiciary's
independence, promised to use his constitutional prerogatives and enforce
the judiciary's prestige and restore the confidence in justice. RADOR
[06] Government order cancelled
The Appeal Court in Bucharest overruled on Thursday the Government Order
687/1998 on the Petoefi-Schiller Multicultural University set up following
the complaint by the Romanians' National Unity Party (PUNR). The court has
ruled that the decision was illegal and unconstitutional. The PUNR claimed
that the order broke some articles in the Constitution and the laws
concerning the set up and licence of Romanian universities. An appeal
against the ruling may be expected in ten days.
[07] Attempts to end differences between Majority and Opposition
A first round of talks has been taking place between the Majority and the
Opposition. At the Parliament Palace on Thursday, the two sides have tried
to detect and establish the legal priorities. After the talks, both sides
have agreed that the talks were efficient as they detected the legal
projects that both Majority and Opposition supported. Such projects include
the support of exports, agriculture and SMEs, the reform of the central and
local public administration, the draft law on ministerial responsibility,
the state Budget and the state insurance budget in 1999. RADOR
In another development, working groups representing the Majority and the
Opposition met to examine the voting on the "Rule of Law" motion. Another
working group met to draw up the code of behaving in the parliamentary
relations. RADOR
[08] BNS protest rally
In the Revolution Plaza on Thursday, thousands of workers around the
country gathered in a protest rally organised by the National Trade Union
Block (BNS). BNS leader Dumitru Costin said it was the government who was
to blame for the desastrous economic and social situation. He announced
that the BNS was expected to carry out new protests early in January. The
trade unions would like consultations with the government in drawing up the
draft Budget and the state insurance budget, consultations concerning the
privatisation, and social protection measures for the disfavoured. They
asked the government to establish the economic priorities. The participants
in the rally then started a march to the Victoria Palace where a BNS
delegation submitted a list of demands. A new round of talks is planned on
December 22. RADOR
[09] Protest march of IAR Brasov workers
Hundreds of workers at the SC IAR Brasov participated in a protest march
from the City Stadium to the Prefecture on Thursday. Trade union leader
Alexandru Comsa says the workers expressed their protest against the
government's indecision in finalising the contract with the Bell
Helicopters, and against the social and economic situation in the area. The
protesters shouted slogans against the government and the country's
president. Trade union leaders from the Roman SA and Rulmentul have also
participated in the protest to express their solidarity with the workers.
While in Brasov, the BNS vicepresident Matei Bratianu has announced that,
on Friday, the trade unionists would start picketing the residences of
President Emil Constantinescu, the speakers of the two Chambres in
parliament as well as residences of other government ministers. RADOR
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