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RADOR: News from Romania, 99-01-25
January 25, 1999
CONTENTS
[01] Union Day Celebrations;
[02] Interior Minister Waiting for Report;
[03] PD Complaints;
[04] PRM May Be Outlawed;
[05] Emerging Strike Actions;
[06] White House Communique.
[07] IMF Officials Postponed Their Arrival at Bucharest;
[08] Special Senatorial Commissions Request Additional Funds for
Ministries;
[01] Union Day celebrations
Union Day celebrations have been taking place in the Moldavian city of
Iassy on Sunday. A military ceremony was reported around the Alexander Ioan
Cuza Memorial in Union Plaza. Representatives of the Romanian Presidency
and Government as well as local officials have attended a wreath-laying
ceremony followed by a mass at the Three Hierarchs Church where Prince Cuza
was buried.
A religious service and a military ceremony were also reported in the
Oltenian town of Craiova on Sunday. Local officials and Knights of the
Michael the Brave Order have attended a wreath-laying ceremony. Around the
Memorial of the Prince Alexander Ioan Cuza, the participants then danced
the Romanian traditional folk dance called "hora".
Romanian flags and three-coloured ribbons were reported on the streets of
the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca on Sunday while the Prince Alexander
Ioan Cuza's Memorial by sculptor Ilarion Voinea was unveiled in the Cluj
downtown. Celebrations of the Union Day were also reported on Sunday
evening when a show, a torch procession and fireworks entertained the
people on the occasion. RADOR
[02] Interior minister waiting for report
Romania's new Interior Minister Constantin Dudu Ionescu is to be presented
with a report on the police forces who failed to stop the miners' unrest
last week. Minister Ionescu told the press that the report next Monday may
lead to some changes in his ministry's structures and strategies. RADOR
[03] PD complaints
In a communique issued to the press on Sunday, the ruling Democratic Party
(PD) has expressed its position on the recent crisis caused by the miners'
protests in the Jiu Valley. The party says that, despite the social
protection measures already in force, their implementation was neglected
and many people believed the economic reform was not to go along with such
measures. The PD believes the reform in such fields as transports or
industries was not enforced by financial and social protection measures.
RADOR
[04] PRM may be outlawed
While attending a press conference in Pitesti on Sunday, Romanian Justice
Minister Valeriu Stoica said the Greater Romania Party (PRM) might be
outlawed if there were enough evidence to prove the party's involvement in
the miners unrest last week. He said the miners' protests were
understandable, but their fight against the state insitutions was
unreasonable. The minister believed that such actions could only be
explained by the communique issued by the PRM during the miners' strike.
RADOR
[05] Emerging strike actions
As the political crisis was peacefully solved last week, other Romanian
trade unions are now considering strike actions. According to media reports,
the CNSRL- Fratia (ed.n. The Brotherhood) trade union federation will try
to persuade the government to adopt a new strategy designed to get the
country out of the crisis. The National Trade Union Block (BNS) is also
expected to join the strikes. RADOR
[06] White House communique
The White House in Washington welcomes the agreement reached by the
Government in Bucharest and the miners in the Jiu Valley. The officials in
Washington poit out that the economic reform should go on despite the
sacrifices involved. "We support the democratically elected government in
its efforts to restore the law and order. The White House welcomes the way
President Emil Constantinescu and Prime Minister Radu Vasile were playing
their role as the country's leaders as well as the joint statement made by
all political parties in Romanian Parliament. The reform process involves
sacrifice, but there is no other way to the country's integration into the
European and Euro-Atlantic structures", White House spokesman John Lockhart
said. RADOR
[07] IMF officials postponed their arrival at Bucharest
The IMF officials have postponed their arrival at Bucharest for early
February. The date depends on how the talks in parliament on the 1999 draft
Budget will go on. The IMF officials were expected next week adter their
initial visit on January 10 was postponed at the Romanian authoriies'
request. The IMF is supposed to grant a new loan to Romania in case the
country's budget deficit will hit no more than 2 per cent of the GDP. The
agreement with the IMF is expected to encourage the foreign investors and
allow Romania to get new foreign loans. RADOR
[08] Special senatorial commissions request additional funds for ministries
Most of special commissions in the Senate request additional funds for the
ministries. The budget-finance commission centralising proposals believe
the ministries may get more money on two conditions: an increase in the
privatisation-resulted funds and a growing budget deficit. The Defence
Commission and the Economic Commission made the most substantial demands.
The Defence Commission would like to get some 3,600 billion lei of
additional funds. Minister Ioan Muresan has also called for a substantial
increase in the agriculture budget. The budget deficit is established at 2%
but some budget-finance commissioners insist that the IMF may be persuaded
to accept a higher deficit. RADOR
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