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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-03-05
March 5, 1998
CONTENTS
[01] COCOPO meeting
[02] Politicians' comments on petrol price rises
[03] SANITAS Federation leader disappointed
[04] Romanian Senate delegation on a visit to Morocco
[05] US General John Shalikashvili on a visit to Romania
[06] Romanian-Canadian cooperation
[07] Projects and perspectives for saving the forest
[01] COCOPO meeting
On Wednesday, the Political Coordination Council of the Governing Coalition
(COCOPO) has reached an agreement on technical issues concerning the 1998
Budget. The document is to be completed next Tuesday, when the council will
meet again. According to other coalition members, although officially
invited, the representatives of the governing Democratic Party (PD) did not
attend the meeting. PD Vicepresident Alexandru Sassu said the PD did not
receive any invitation to the event, and more, his colleagues were told the
meeting would open this weekend. Mr Sassu added that his party did not make
any decision yet whether to vote in or off the law of the Budget. RADOR,
March 5
[02] Politicians' comments on petrol price rises
Referring to the impact of petrol price rises on the prices of other goods,
Prime Minister Victor Ciorbea has informed that, according to experts,
other prices could rise by 4-6%, but the psychological impact could not be
ignored either. Other Romanian politicians have also expressed their
opinion on the matter. The leader of the governing National Liberal Party
(PNL), Mircea Ionescu Quintus said the decision was the only solution to
deal with indirect taxes. Though he admitted it was a harmful solution for
ordinary people, Mr Quintus added that petrol price rises were expected to
cut other spendings and balance the Budget. When asked if social protection
measures were taken to ease the impact of a chain reaction in price rises,
Romanian Reform Minister Ilie Serbanescu replied: "Did you see the petrol
prices in Romania's neighbouring countries? Why should we subsidise the
countries around Romania? I see no use of it". The leader of the governing
Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), Marko Bela,
believes that "for the time being, the petrol price rise is a tough but
necessary measure which should not be followed by other similar decisions".
A senior member of the Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR), former
Finance Minister Florin Georgescu said: "The government has taken a
desperate measure aimed at raising funds in order to persuade the IMF to
return to Romania. The measure is economically unjustified" while his
former colleague Mircea Cosea, now a senior member of the newly created
Alliance for Romania party (ApR), replied: "The Romanian petrol price is
still below the world standards, and it is a serious problem as it
encourages the smuggling of goods from Romania to the neighbouring
countries. At the same time, we should state very clearly that we could not
aprove the way the decision was made". RADOR, March 5
[03] SANITAS Federation leader disappointed
After several delays, the House of Deputies has finally ended the debates
concerning the raise in the salaries of Romanian health workers and passed
the government proposal on the matter. The salaries will raise by 25% as
the government had previously stated. After the meeting, disappointed by
both the Government and the Opposition, the SANITAS Federation delegates
have left the Parliament Palace. According to a statement made by SANITAS
Federation leader Marius Petcu, trade unionists will act in order to change
the existing Electoral Law. The MPs should not be elected according to
electoral roll; they should be elected individually "as stipulated in the
art. 73 in the Constitution" and they should respond directly to the
electorate, Mr Petcu concluded. RADOR, March 5
[04] Romanian Senate delegation on a visit to Morocco
The Speaker of the Romanian Senate Petre Roman, the head of an MPs
delegation on an official visit to Morocco, has provided details concerning
his Wednesday agenda. Mr Roman said the delegation was to visit the
Moroccan capital Casablanca, and then attend a ceremony expressing the
recognition and obidience of the Moroccan subjects to their King Hassan II.
The agenda also includes a meeting with the Moroccan prime minister during
a reception at the Romanian embassy in Casablanca and another meeting with
the 20 Romanian businessmen on a visit to Morocco. The Romanian businessmen
are to meet their Moroccan counterparts and Moroccan officials to discuss
ways of developing economic relations with Morocco and major financial
projects Romania is expected to join. RADOR, March 5
[05] US General John Shalikashvili on a visit to Romania
Former US Jojn Chief of Staff John Shalikashvili is on a private visit to
Romania as representative of the American Kubik Application Company, a
major manufacturer of simulation training technologies. On Wednesday,
General Shalikashvili met Romanian Defence Minister Constantin Dudu Ionescu
and Prime Minister Victor Ciorbea. After the meeting, he said the American
company was interested in supporting the future regional centre of
simulation training in Romania. RADOR, March 5
[06] Romanian-Canadian cooperation
Gabriel Gafita, State Secretary with the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE)
met the Canadian Minister for French speaking countries Affairs Eryan
Marlot on Wednesday. MAE spokeswoman Anda Filip organised a press confernce
on the event. RADOR, March 5
[07] Projects and perspectives for saving the forest
Bucharest hosted for more days an important meeting of the forest engineers
under the auspice of the UN. The Waters, Forest and Environment Protection
Minister Romica Tomescu said that the main purpose of the seminar set up by
FAO was "to actualize the current national forest strategy" and "to
identify the investment priorities in the public sector for internal and
foreign financing based on the strategic guidelines we established". He
added that the "tackled the problems in the wood processing industry." The
main objectives they established during the talks were gathered in a
strategic guiding note. RADOR, March 5
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