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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-03-13
March 13, 1998
CONTENTS
[01] Petre Roman says Ion Diaconescu's remarks are groundless
[02] PNL says it will vote for the Budget as such
[03] PSDR will vote for the Budget
[04] PDSR will not vote for the Budget, if the Government will ignore its
suggestions
[05] ApR will vote for the Budget only if some conditions are met
[06] BNS will take legal action against the Romanian president and the
prime minister
[07] Emil Constantinescu: "The way to Luxembourg was a fight for Romanian
cause"
[08] British defence minister about Romania's chances to join NATO
[09] France still is the advocate of the Romanian people
[10] PD leader at the European Social-Democrat meeting
[11] Prime minister of the German land of Hessen on a visit to Bucharest
[12] Good conditions for Moldovan citizens to vote on Romanian territory
[01] Petre Roman says Ion Diaconescu's remarks are groundless
On Thursday, the leader of the governing Christian Democrat National
Peasant Party (PNTCD), Ion Diaconescu, said the Democratic Party (PD) was
not a coalition member anymore, and a new protocol should be negotiated. On
his return from London, where he attended a conference of the European
Social-Democrats, PD leader Petre Roman said yesterday that the governing
coalition was representing the will of all its members, and Ion
Diaconescu's statement was groundless. The PD leadership believes that the
only solution is the setting up of a new government able to coordinate a
new reform programme and present the Budget. According to the PD, the
coalition was actually created to achieve the reform programme. "The Budget
is overwhelmingly connected to the reform", Mr Roman said. The PD leader
has recalled that, if prime minister were to present the draft Budget, then,
his party was not supposed to vote for it. RADOR, March 13 <P>
[02] PNL says it will vote for the Budget as such
The governing National Liberal Party (PNL) has declared it would ask the
Finance Ministry to start drawing up the draft Budget for the next year
right now so that the Parliament could by law receive it by November 1998
at the latest. The Liberals will present a legal initiative on the matter,
PNL spokesman Paul Pacuraru said at a press conference on Thursday. The PNL
leadership has announced that it would vote for the Budget as such. PNL
leader Mircea Ionescu Quintus added that the Budget would be presented by
the current prime minister and, if a new government was needed after its
adoption, the only condition was that the next government should be
stronger than the previous one. RADOR, March 13
[03] PSDR will vote for the Budget
The governing Romanian Social-Democrat Party (PSDR) will vote for the draft
Budget and it will assume the responsibility along with other parties in
the coalition to carry it out, irrespective of its economic and social
effects. At a press conference on Thursday, PSDR leader Sergiu Cunescu said
that the idea of a new government should be discreetly negotiated, and a
vote against the Budget was not the solution to achieve such a task. Mr
Cunescu added that PSDR National Council was to review its position towards
the Government, but the meeting was planned only after the Budget would be
passed. RADOR, March 13
[04] PDSR will not vote for the Budget, if the Government will ignore its
suggestions
While in Cluj-Napoca, where he attended a meeting of the PDSR County
Council on Thursday, the leader of the opposition Party of Social Democracy
in Romania (PDSR) Ion Iliescu has retiterated his party's position towards
the draft Budget. He said that such a coordination if financial resources
was actually perpetuating the economic decline of the country. "PDSR MPs
were not supposed to vote for the Budget if, after the consultations the
Government requested, PDSR were not to find the suggestions it made in the
project", Ion Iliescu said. Mr Iliescu has also criticised the
privatisation programme which, as he put in, "was trying to impress the
public opinion with fetishes of a fake economic and social recovery". As
far as the 1998 strategy iss concerned, PDSR is preparing a revigorated
political offensive opened to trade unions, civil society and mass media,
and it does not rule out a tempestuous participation in virtual early
elections. RADOR, March 13
[05] ApR will vote for the Budget only if some conditions are met
The Alliance for Romania party (ApR) will vote for the 1998 Budget only if
the Government were to take its siggestions into account. After the talks
between ApR delegates and economic ministries officials, ApR First
Vicepresident Mircea Cosea said his party rejected the idea of growing
duties and taxes and put forward proposals aimed at restructuring the
governing system. Mr Cosea believes that the Budget the Government has
presented was a "budget of survival". He expected an inflation rate of 80%
at least, far higher than the Government has been estimated. Although he
insisted that the agreements with the IMF and the World Bank should be
renegotiated, Mr Cosea admitted that it was too late now for such a task to
be achieved as the Budget was still not passed. RADOR, March 13
[06] BNS will take legal action against the Romanian president and the
prime minister
At a press conference on Thursday, the Vicepresident of the National Trade
Union Block (BNS) Matei Bratianu has announced that the BNS Executive
Bureau decided to renounce an intervention of President Emil Constantinescu
as mediator between representatives of the BNS, USD (Social-Democrat Union)
and CDR (Democratic Convention in Romania) to sign a protocol stipulating
their obligations to the electorate. Mr Bratianu said the BNS would take
legal action against President Emil Constatinesu and Prime Minister Victor
Ciorbea for violating the Romanian Constitution. He has motivated the
decision and said that, both the president and the prime minister, did not
provide an adequate climate aimed at ensuring economic development, a
decent life as well as work and education rights for families with
children. RADOR, March 13
[07] Emil Constantinescu: "The way to Luxembourg was a fight for the
Romanian cause"
In a multiplex broadcast on Thursday evening, in his address to the
European Conference in London, Romanian President Emil Constantinescu said:
"We recall that, this time last year, we felt very disappointed when the
European Commission decided to exclude Romania from the European
integration process was. Nevertheless, irrespective of how critical we were,
we should be honest and admit that the way to Luxembourg, the way to give
Romania a chance, was mainly a fight for the Romanian cause. At the
beginning, the fight was led by President Chirac, then by Chancellor Kohl,
and then by a growing number of participants who, in the end, accepted this
new solution aimed at allowing those states excepted from first round
bilateral negotiations to catch up with the favourites". RADOR, March 13
[08] British defence minister about Romania's chances to join NATO
British Defence Minister George Robertson has admiited that his talks in
London with Romanian President Emil Constantinescu focused on military
relations between the two sides as, of all Central European states, Romania
was second only to Ukraine in her military dialogue with Britain. When
asked by journalists to express Britain's position towards Romania's NATO
accession in the second round, Mr Robertson provided a cautious answer:
"The doors of the Alliance stay open. All NATO members are to agree the
date and the new candidates for the second round of accession. Romania is a
good and democratic candidate of big strategic and military potential".
According to the same source, Britain, a well-known ally of the US, has
welcomed Romania's offer to participate in military operations against
Saddam Hussein. RADOR, March 13
[09] France still is the advocate of the Romanian people
On Thursday in London, French President Jacques Chirac said that Romania's
rejection from the first round of NATO and EU accession was unfair.
Bucharest has concentrated all its resources to achieve these goals, the
French president said. He added that France still was the advocate of
Romania and the Romanian people. RADOR, March 13
[10] PD leader at the European Social-Democrat meeting
A meeting of the European Social-Democrats preceded the European Conference
in London yesterday. For the first time, participants included leaders of
social-democrat parties in EU Applicant States. Referring to his
participation in the event, PD leader Petre Roman said: "I believe we had
much gain and, at the same time, the meeting provided the opportunity to
explain Romania's situation and position towards her most important goal:
the EU membership". On his return to Bucharest, Mr Roman said he was glad
to feel a strong Western support for the EU integration of all East-
European states. Participants in the meeting expressed their belief that
the EU integration should be achieved as soon as possible, without any
difference between candidates. A special newly created group was aimed at
approximating the positions of the EU Member and Applicant States.RADOR,
March 13
[11] Prime minister of the German land of Hessen on a visit to Bucharest
Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ciorbea met his counterpart of the German
land of Hessen, Hans Eichel, at Victoria Palace on Thursday. The Romanian
prime minister has expressed the hope that the visit of the German official
and his businessmen delegation was to strengthen Romanian-German economic
and trade relations. In his turn, the German guest has expressed his
further support for Romania's accession to European structures, and
announced that a Deutsche Bank branch was to open soon in Bucharest. RADOR,
March 13
[12] Good conditions for Moldovan citizens to vote on Romanian territory
Referring to general elections in the Republic of Moldova on March 22 and
according to the Moldovan Electoral Code, a poll station will open at the
Moldovan embassy in Romania on Sunday, March 22, between 7 AM and 9 PM.
Embassy address: Bucharest, Aleea Modrogan No.40. In order too ensure good
conditions for Moldovan voters living in Romania, other poll stations are
open in Iassy - Casa Universitarilor, Copou Bvd. No.9, Cluj-Napoca - Casa
de Cultura a Studentilor, Lucian Blaga Plaza No.1-3, between 7AM and 1 PM,
and Timisoara - Universitatea de Vest, Vasile Parvan Bvd. No.4, between 7
AM and 12 AM. For additional information call: 01 - 230-04-74. RADOR,
March 13
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