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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-04-22
April 22, 1998
CONTENTS
[01] Laws promulgated
[02] MApN communique
[03] PNTCD support for Viorel Lis as mayor of Bucharest
[04] SRI press communique
[05] Prime Minister Radu Vasile says his visit to Strasbourg may be seen as
a positive signal
[06] Prime minister's support for Emergency Ordinance concerning minority
education
[07] Vasile Lupu - new head of Romanian delegation at CE Parliamentary
Assembly
[08] Romanian foreign minister on a visit to Washington
[09] Session in support of Romanian and Slovenian candidacies for NATO
[10] Reactions to an Amnesty International report
[11] Romanian Army participation in international training exercises
[01] Laws promulgated
On Tuesday, Romanian President Emil Constantinescu has promulgated the law
concerning Romania's accession to the 1961 Convention in Rome and the law
confirming Romania as member of the 1971 Convention in Geneva protecting
producers against unauthorised sound recordings. According to the law,
Romanian artists and playwers, recording producers and broadcasters get
international protection in all member states. In its turn, Romania is to
provide protection to foreign artists and broadcasters as stipulated in the
Romanian law. The Romanian president has also promulgated the law
concerning Romania's accession to the 1886 Convention in Bern. A communique
issued by Romanian Presidency says that, consequently, Romania has become a
member of the Union protecting literary and artistic works. RADOR, April
22
[02] MApN communique
Romanian Defence Minister Victor Babiuc has made a statement concerning the
public debate around the role the army has played in the Romanian
revolution of December 1989 and the proposed amnesty for some military-led
actions during the event. According to the statement, since it could freely
express its option, the Romanian Army did a good job during the 1989
revolution and ensured its success. Mr Babiuc believes that, for its
actions in December 1989, the army deserves the gratitude of the people and
not the harassement it has been subject to in recent days. The army and its
commanders played a decisive role in ensuring the success of the revolution
and the country's stability in those troubled times. For its actions in the
past and the times to come, the army should be perceived as a national good,
and not as a stake for political games. Once this truth accepted, the
process of reform, the country's stability and democracy are ensured, and
it could result in an important step to national reconciliation, the
statement concludes. RADOR, April 22
[03] PNTCD support for Viorel Lis as mayor of Bucharest
On Tuesday, the branch in Bucharest of the ruling Christian Democrat
National Peasant Party (PNTCD) and PNTCD leaders have nominated Viorel Lis,
the current acting mayor of Bucharest, as the PNTCD candidate for the job
in the next elections. PNTCD President Ion Diaconescu said he intended to
ask the Democratic Convention in Romania (CDR) to accept Viorel Lis as
single candidate of the alliance. In his turn, Mr Lis said he expected to
win the race given his experience and sympathy among people in Bucharest.
RADOR, April 22
[04] SRI press communique
The board of the Romanian Intelligence (SRI) has designated an inquiry
commission to investigate how the photocopy of a document in the SRI
archives in Brasov has been leaked to the media. Following recent
investigation, the photocopy may have been made in 1996, and, following the
conclusions the commission has reached, the SRI board asked the Attorney's
Office of the Supreme Court to find a legal solution and bring those
responsible to justice, says a SRI press communique. RADOR, April 22
[05] Prime Minister Radu Vasile says his visit to Strasbourg may be seen as
a positive signal
Romanian Prime Minister Radu Vasile has returned from Strasbourg on
Tuesday. He met officials at the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly
and, in his statement to the press at the Otopeni Airport, Mr Vasile
informed that the resumption of Romania's monitoring was out of question.
According to Mr Vasile, the talks in Strasbourg have revealed that Romania
has observed many of its obligations and the issue of the orphanages and
children homes would be solved by the end of the year. He said that, during
the talks he had with Council officials, he stressed that the political
crisis was solved and Romania had a major role to play in preserving
stability in the region. Radu Vasile has rejected the idea of early
elections. Our country should start an efficient diplomatic offensive while
taking important domestic measures in order to meet the conditions for its
Euro-Atlantic accession, the prime minister concluded. RADOR, April 22
[06] Prime minister's support for Emergency Ordinance concerning minority
education
In his address to the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, Romanian
Prime Minister Radu Vasile said that, according to the governing programme,
such iassues as mother's tongue education, bilingual inscriptions in
certain towns and villages and mother's tongue use in local administrations
should be solved as stipulated by Romanian Government's Emergency
Ordinance. The prime minister seems to support the most favouring version
for minorities. Mr Vasile added that, according to the governing programme,
the issue should be solved as stipulated by the agreement reached between
the sides involved. The prime minister stressed that there were two
versions: the government supports the version favouring the minorities but,
on the other hand, the amendments the Senate has adopted should be taken
into account. The amendments include essential restrictions for mother's
tongue education. "We support the version the Government drawn up as it was
made according to our obligations abroad", the prime minister said. RADOR,
April 22
[07] Vasile Lupu - new head of Romanian delegation at CE Parliamentary
Assembly
Replacing Prime Minister Radu Vasile, PNTCD Deputy Speaker of Romanian
House of Deputies Vasile Lupu is the new head of the Romanian MP delegation
at CE Parliamentary Assembly. Mr Lupu explained that the position belonged
to his party, and the PNTCD leadership has designated him as head of the
Romanian delegation. Vasile Lupu promised to play a major role in the
attempt to approximate the Romanian legislation to CE standards. RADOR,
April 22
[08] Romanian foreign minister on a visit to Washington
Before leaving for Washington, Romanian Foreign Minister Andrei Plesu
declared he had three objectives to reach: prepare the Romanian president's
visit to the US in July, draw up a final report concerning the first year
of the US-Romania Strategic Partnership, and detect Romania's chances to
join the Euro-Atlantic structures in April 1999. Mr Plesu said: "I shall
meet US State Secretary Madeleine Albright, her deputy Mr Strobe Talbott,
Pentagon officials and congressmen. I will also attend a conference at the
International Centre for Strategic Studies on East- European issues in
connection with NATO and security in general. I shall meet the press,
executives at Holocaust Museum, Romanian Americans in Washington and the US,
and I shall participate in the inauguration of the US Congress group
supporting Romania". Mr Plesu announced he then was to visit Luxemborug and
attend a session of the EU-Romania Association Council. Mr Plesu is to
leave Luxembourg for Brussels where he is to take part in the intensive
dialogue between Rpomania and NATO along with Romanian Defence Minister
Victor Babiuc. RADOR, April 22
[09] Session in support of Romanian and Slovenian candidacies for NATO
A new meeting of Italian, French, Slovenian and Romanian experts took place
in Bucharest on Tuesday. Participants discussed new ways of getting
concrete support for the Romanian and Slovenian NATO candidacies. RADOR,
April 22
[10] Reactions to an Amnesty International report
Referring to the recent report issued by Amnesty International, Romanian
Prime Minister Radu Vasile said the aspects it reveled were already known.
Two or three cases were revealed in 1997 while the others happened between
1994 and 1996. The prime minister added that such abuses were reported all
over the world. In his turn, Romanian Minister for Internal Affairs Gavril
Dejeu said such incidents were not typical of the Romanian police only, but
backstage interests intended to turn the significance of the report into a
quite different matter. Mr Dejeu revealed that Romania already presented a
report to the EU including the measures the authorities took in order to
solve the issue. RADOR, April 22
[11] Romanian Army participation in international training exercises
In a letter to Parliament on Tuesday, Romanian President Emil
Constantinescu informed that Romanian military units were to participate in
joint training exercises abroad along with their counterparts in other
European countries. Between April 21-29, the Romanian troops are to
participate in joint training exercises with Bulgarian military on
Bulgarian territory while between May 4-29, Romanian troops are to leave
for Germany and participate in the "Combined Endeavour '98" exercise as
part of the NATO Partnership for Peace programme. RADOR, April 22
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