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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-03-19
March 19, 1998
CONTENTS
[01] Pros and cons on rejecting Emergency Ordinance 22
[02] George Pruteanu was excluded from the PNTCD
[03] President Emil Constantinescu met PDSR leaders
[04] Chief economic commissioner in the Senate criticises the draft Budget
[05] PUNR will vote against the Budget
[06] ApR is preparing for early elections
[07] PDSR about minorities' regime in Hungary
[08] Protests of Sailor Trade Union Federation
[09] US deputy secretary of state on a visit to Bucharest
[10] Additional troops to Bosnia and Herzegovina
[11] The head of Romanian diplomacy about the future basic treaty with
Russia
[01] Pros and cons on rejecting Emergency Ordinance 22
As the Romanian Senate has rejected yesterday the Emergency Ordinance 22,
there were a series of statements on the matter. Among other things, Prime
Minister Victor Ciorbea said: "It is more than wrong because, as you
already know, the ordinance brought major amendments to articles concerning
the responsibilities the local authorities hadS At the same time, the
ordinance plays a major role in decentralising the state administration.
Therefore, the vote yesterday by the Democratic Party (PD) along with the
Greater Romania Party (PRM) has actually unvailed its option. Its obssesive
desire has produced antinational results which were definitely against
Romania's integration into the European and Euro- Atlantic structures".
Reviewing recent events, the President of the governing Christian Democrat
National Peasant Party (PNTCD), Ion Diaconescu, said: "We are waiting for
the law rejecting the ordinance, and then it will be our turn to reject
that law. The ordinance will be subject to debates in the Senate and the
House of Deputies, and arbitration between both Houses. We shall discuss it
in the plenum, and then we'll see"... At a press conference yesterday, the
leader of the governing Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania
(UDMR), Marko Bela, spoke about the implications the vote would bring to
the rights of theSHungarian minority in Romania. He said that the "vote was
implicitly against Europe". PD leader Petre Roman has wished to stress that
"legally, the ordinance was rejected by the Senate, and the Senate then
passed a rejection law, but this law should be rejected or adopted by the
House of Deputies, and this is a fact". RADOR, March 19
[02] George Pruteanu was excluded from the PNTCD
On Wednesday, the PNTCD Coordination Council (BCCC) has decided to exclude
Senator George Pruteanu from the party. Explaining the decision, PNTCD
leader Ion Diaconescu said George Pruteanu did not obey the party
discipline. "We appreciate Mr Pruteanu as a man, but his attitude is
embarrassing for us, and we are sorry we had to make that decision", Mr
Diaconescu added. RADOR, March 19
[03] President Emil Constantinescu met PDSR leaders
Political resposibilities for the crisis throughout the country were the
main topics during an emergency meeting on Tuesday between the Romanian
Presidency and the opposiSion Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR).
The PDSR leaders have pleaded for an emergency meeting with all political
parties in Parliament to focus on the economic and social situation in the
country and discuss the eventuality of early elections. The PDSR president
believes that tha main problems are caused by a wrong economic programme,
and a new prime minister would be only a superficial and unsatisfactory
solution. In his opinion, the early elections should be seriously taken
into account. The Romanian Presidency has welcomed the PDSR initiatives
concerning the amendments to the electioral law and the law concerning the
referendum as stipulated by Consitution. RADOR, March 19
[04] Chief economic commissioner in the Senate criticises the draft Budget
The chief commissioner of the Economic Commission in the Romanian Senate,
Viorel Catarama, said the Government draft Budget had a strong touch of
social protection and it was compromising for the ruling Democratic
Convention iS Romania (CDR). Mr Catarama criticised the Government because
the Budget did not include the reform programme and continued its policy of
indexed and compensated salaries. RADOR, March 19
[05] PUNR will vote against the Budget
At a press conference on Wednesday, the leadership of the opposition
Romanians' National Unity Party (PUNR) has announced that PUNR was not
expected to vote for the Budget put forward by the Government. PUNR
Secretary General Vasile Dobrescu explained the decision stressing that
only two of the party's 18 conditions were taken into account. Mr Dobrescu
informed that PUNR President Valeriu Tabara will accept the invitation
issued by the Romanian president. The PUNR leader is to announce the date
and the delegation in a letter to the president. RADOR, March 19
[06] ApR is preparing for early elections
The Alliance for Romania party (ApR) is preparing for early elections
though it is convinced that such an event could deepen the crisis. For the
time being, ApR Sicepresident Iosif Boda has rejected suggestions of an ApR
- PDSR - USD - PUNR coalition though he admitted that such an agreement
could be possible only after early elections, if results were supposed to
allow a majority in Parliament. On the other hand, he said that the Budget
could be passed through secret vote, but the political crisis would remain.
The ApR MPs are not expected to vote for the Budget unless their objections
are answered. ApR Vicepresident Marian Enache indicated that, under the
pressure of early elections, ApR had contacts with the PUNR, PSDR (ed.n.
governing Romanian Social-Democrat Party), PS (ed.n. opposition Socialist
Party) and other parties outside Parliament, but there were two criteria to
meet for a virtual coalition: the date for elections and understanding
within the parties. RADOR, March 19
[07] PDSR about minorities' regime in Hungary
PDSR has expressed its surprise and disappointment concerning the refusal
of the Hungarian MPs to allow the nationalSminority representation in
parliament. According to PDSR, Hungary did not follow Romania's example
since 1990, now stipulated by Constitution. In a communique PDSR says the
repeated refusal of MPs in Budapest to provide a similar treatment for the
minorities in Hungary proves intolerance and unvailes a dangerous vision,
inacceptable in the end of the 20-th century. PDSR believes that such an
attitude could be a lesson for UNDMR which did not miss any opportunity to
accuse Romania of promoting minority discrimination. RADOR, March 19
[08] Protests of Sailor Trade Union Federation
On Wednesday, the Sailor Trade Union Federation in Romania has initiated a
protest rally in the Revolution Plaza of Bucharest. According to trade
union leader Florentin Marin, the protests were caused by the dismissal of
more than 150 sailors and unpaid salaries and foreign allowances for more
than two years. Around 1 PM, the protesters have marched to the Victoria
Palace where they presented the GovernmentSwith their written demands. In
case their demands are not answered, the protesters will start picketing
the Government building on Thursday (March 19) and then initiate further
protests. RADOR, March 19
[09] US deputy secretary of state on a visit to Bucharest
"The American Administration does not believe that a moratorium on NATO
expansion is necessary", US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott said
after meeting Romanian President Emil Constantinescu in Bucharest. He
expressed his belief that the US Senate would reiterate the open doors
principle, and said he was optimistic about Romania's chances of NATO
integration. President Constantinescu said the talks were useful and
focused on the Romanian-American Strategic Partnership as stipulated in the
recent US action programme for South-East Europe and the South-East
European cooperation initiative. Mr Talbott said Romania adopted a very
constructive position towards the crisis in Kosovo, and added he was to
discuss the issue aSong with other concrete aspects of the Romanian-
American Partnership during his talks with Romanian Foreign Minister Andrei
Plesu today (March 19). RADOR, March 19
[10] Additional troops to Bosnia and Herzegovina
Following the request of Romanian President Emil Constantinescu, the
defence commissioners in the Senate and the House of Deputies have approved
yesterday (March 18) additional forces of 100 troops to enforce the
international strategic armed forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR). The
number of Romanian troops in Bosnia will raise from 300 to 400. The
vicepresident of the commission, PDSR Senator Radu Timofte informed that
the additional troops were not actually expected to leave the country as
some of the previous 300 were still in the garrison of Craiova. The 400
troops are to be used only in difficult cases, if more forces were
requested. RADOR, March 19
[11] The head of Romanian diplomacy about the future basic treaty with
Russia
Before the Foreign Policy CommissionS in Parliament, Romanian Foreign
Minister Andrei Plesu has explained on Wednesday that the future basic
treaty with Russia was not expected to include articles concerning the
Ribbentrop-Moltov Pact. As far as the Romanian treasury is concerned, Mr
Plesu said the only demand was the setting up of a joint commission to
detect where could it go. RADOR, March 19
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