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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-06-17
June 17, 1998
CONTENTS
[01] Senate Proceedings;
[02] House of Deputies Proceedings;
[03] PL Press Conference;
[04] PDSR Press Conference;
[05] UDMR Press Conference;
[06] The Setting Up of the Social Democracy 2000 Debate and Initiative
Group;
[07] King Michael's Visit to Galatzi County;
[08] Protest Rally of Cartel Alfa Trade Union Confederation;
[09] Talks Between Andrei Plesu and Frank Kramer.
[01] Senate proceedings
Debates have continued in the Romanian Senate on Tuesday over the law on
organising and coordinating the handicraft industry. At the request of the
Eureopean Community, the basic principles concerning the setting up,
organisation and coordination of handicraft industries were reconsidered.
According to new amendments, the handicraft workers may freely associate in
cooperatives, and all associated civil or legal persons share the same
rights and obligations irrespective of how many shares they own. RADOR
[02] House of Deputies proceedings
The Romanian deputies have adopted articles in the draft law on regional
development. The regional development policy includes the elimination of
discrepancies between different regions in the country, preparing the
institutional framework to meet the criteria of EU integration and acces to
EU structures, balanced coordination of policies and activities in regional
departments, encouraging cross-regional and cross-border cooperation, the
Euroregions included. The setting up of the National Council for Regional
Development is aimed to achieve all these objectives under prime minister's
control. RADOR
[03] PL press conference
Deputy Octavian Bot, vicepresident of the Liberal Party (PL), believes
Romania is facing an unprecedented moral crisis. At a press conference on
Tuesday, the PL leader said that recent sensational disclosure of
politicians today as informers of the former Securitate was only the proof.
"Such revelations distract attention from important matters and seriously
affect the confidence of the electorate in the Romanian political class",
Mr Bot warned. He has urged the Permanent Bureau of the House of Deputies
to urgently include on the debates' agenda the Electoral Law. According to
Mr Bot, an amendment should be introduced stipulating that any candidate
should previously confess their virtual cooperation with the Securitate
services in the past. RADOR
[04] PDSR press conference
The leader of the opposition Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR),
Ion Iliescu, has asked Romanian President Emil Constantinescu to mediate a
dialogue between the Ruling Power and the Opposition aimed at finding best
solutions to the country's good. He accused the governing officials of
arrogance and aggressiveness against the Opposition. Mr Iliescu has urged
all the responsible forces in Romania to let ideological and personal
adversities apart, and concentrate together on the country's future. At a
press conference on Tuesday, Ion Iliescu has accused the former Ciorbea
Cabinet that it deliberately caused Romania's economic recession but, at
the same time, he said the Radu Vasile Cabinet had no chance in ensuring
Romania's recovery. RADOR
[05] UDMR press conference
"The parties in the governing coalition should now prove a clear political
will to solve the problems the Hungarian minority in Romania were facing.
Otherwise, the position of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in
Romania (UDMR) is under doubt", UDMR leader Marko Belo said at a press
conference on Tuesday. Mr Bela said the pressure put by his party was aimed
at persuading the Romanian officials to observe the common governing
programme. UDMR believes that the recent decision made by the Senate of the
University in Cluj-Napoca to reject the future setting up of a Hungarian
language, literature and ethnography department is a monumental blunder. Mr
Bela pointed out that Ordinance 36 amending the Education Law made the
Government the only decision-making body to decide on the matter as long as
the higher education authonomy was not to be violated in any way. RADOR
[06] The setting up of the Social Democracy 2000 Group for Debates and
Initiatives
Following a proposal by Adrian Severin, Vicepresident of the ruling
Democratic Party (PD), the Social Democracy 2000 Group for Debates and
Initiatives was set up at the Parliament Palace on Tuesday. The gruop is
opened to all politicians and civilians sharing social-democrat ideals and
wishing to propose programmes for the unification of a new social-democrat
movement in Romania. Participants in event included representatives of the
PD, PDSR and Romanian Social Democrat Party (PSDR). RADOR
[07] King Michael's visit to Galatzi county
While on a visit to the Galatzi county, Romania's former sovereign, King
Michael I met the county's prefect and other local officials on Tuesday.
The Romanian authorities have presented His Majesty with the economic sites
in the town of Galatzi. He was also provided information concerning the
current stage of privatisation, the educational system and main cultural
institutions in town and throughout the county. King Michael has thanked
for the warm welcome. RADOR
[08] Protest rally of Cartel Alfa Trade Union Confederation
The Cartel Alfa Trade Union Confederation, one of the three main trade
union organisations in Romania, has staged a rally on Tuesday to protest
against the way the Government has considered its demands. The trade
unionists believe that the Government has adopted some laws without
previously consulting its social partners. The protesters have also
demanded a cut in energy and fuel prices, lower income taxes, adoption of
emergency restructuring programmes and an economic policy to ensure a fair
competition between Romanian and foreign goods. RADOR
[09] Talks between Andrei Plesu and Frank Kramer
We believe there is a growing need to find a quick and clear solution to
end the Kosovo crisis in order to achieve regional security", Romanian
Foreign Minister Andrei Plesu said after having talks with Frank Kramer,
foreign affairs assistant of the US defence secretary. Mr Plesu said he
would have rather prefered a political solution to the crisis, but, if
radical measures should be taken, then they should not be indefinitely
delayed. He informed that, as far Romania's participation in a future NATO
intervention in southern Serbia was concerned, the Romanian authorities did
not make any decision yet, but one could not be a "strategic partner"
without assuming the responsibilities this position required. In his turn,
Mr Kramer has assured that the US were supporting NATO's open-door policy
as well as countries that, like Romania, were making efforts to meet the
criteria requested to become a full member of NATO. RADOR
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