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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-11-26
November 26, 1998
CONTENTS
[01] Further Disputes in Parliament Between Power and Opposition;
[02] House of Deputies Proceedings;
[03] PDSR Press Communique;
[04] MLPAT Press Conference;
[05] King Michael to Attend Romania's National Day Celebrations;
[06] DM 1 Blocked by Workers of Compa Company in Sibiu;
[07] President Constantinescu on a Visit to Brussels;
[08] US Dollar Rose to More than 10,000 lei;
[09] Spokesman of Romania's National Bank on Leu Devaluation;
[10] Chairman of GazProm Arrived in Bucharest.
[01] Further disputes in parliament between Power and Opposition
The meeting at the Senate on Wednesday between MP groups representing the
governing coalition and the Opposition has failed to put an end to the
political crisis. The majority and the Opposition have accused one another
that none of their leaders issued the mandate allowing them to negotiate
solutions designed to end the crisis and, after half-hour disputes, no
decision was made at the end of the meeting. Participants included Ulm
Spineanu, the vicepresident of the Christian Democrat National Peasant
Party (PNTCD), the vicepresident of the Democratic Party (PD), Dan Vasiliu,
Paul Pacuraru of the National Liberal Party (PNL) and Verestoy Attila of
the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) on one side,
and Doru Ioan Taracila of the Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR),
Vasile Dobrescu of the Romanians' National Unity Party (PUNR) and Dumitru
Badea of the Greater Romania Party (PRM) on the other. The PNL
representative Paul Pacuraru said he was to propose a meeting between all
the leaders of the parties in parliament along with leaders of the MP
groups in both the Senate and the House of Deputies and call for a solution
to the crisis. In his turn, PDSR first vicepresident Adrian Nastase said
his party was ready to attend such a meeting in case the coalition leaders
were to come with concrete and responsible proposals to end the crisis.
RADOR
[02] House of Deputies proceedings
Despite the absence of the Opposition, the deputies have ended debates
about the draft law on ministerial responsibilities. At their meeting on
Wednesday, the deputies gave their final vote for a number of draft laws
whose articles were previously adopted separately. The projects include,
among others, the draft law approving the Emergency Ordinance 36/1997
amending and completing the Educationa Law and the reports of the mediation
commission concerning the emergency ordinance encouraging direct
investments. Other debates in the Chambre included such projects as the
Ordinance 81/1998 on measures designed to restore damaged land areas by
planting forests. RADOR
[03] PDSR press communique
A press communique signed by PDSR first vicepresident Adrian Nastase says
the party's move is actually an invitation to normality for the country's
rulers who should exercise resposibility and respect for the Constitution
and the country's laws as well as for the whole nation now surprised to see
its future pawned. The accusations the majority senators and deputies made
against the Opposition were false and unjustified as long as the Opposition
requested nothing more than respect for the law. The communique mentions
that the PDSR senators and deputies gave up the pay they were entitled to
get during the protest. RADOR
[04] MLPAT press conference
Romania's Habitat Ministry (MLPAT) hosted an extraordinary press conference
on Wednesday aimed at promoting the final location of the People's
Salvation Cathedral in the Piata Unirii (ed.n. Union Plaza) of Bucharest,
near the Hanul lui Manuc (ed.n. Manuc's Inn). It was actually the Patriarch
Miron Cristea who dreamed to achieve the project in one of Bucharest's most
traditional and significant sites. Participants in the press conference
included Prime Minister Radu Vasile, MLPAT Minister Nicolae Noica, the
speaker of the House of Deputies, Ion Diaconescu and Romania's Patriarch
Teoctist. All the speakers have agreed to promote and achieve the project.
The prime minister said that a domestic loan similar to the Finance
Ministry-administrated loan for the restoration of the Romanian Atheneum
could help the project. RADOR
[05] King Michael to attend Romania's National Day celebrations
A communique issued in Versoix by the King's Press Office on Wednesday says
the former soverign of Romania, HM King Michael I, and his wife, Queen Ana,
along with their daughter Princess Margaret and son-in-law Radu Duda are
expected in Timisoara on Friday, November 27. On the occasion of the 80-th
anniversary of the Great Union, King Michael will unvail the memorial of
King Ferdinand in the Victoria Plaza of Timisoara on November 28 and attend
a concert at the National Theatre House on Sunday, November 29. RADOR
[06] DM 1 blocked by workers of Compa Company in Sibiu
The workers of Compa Company in Sibiu have blocked for five hours the
national route DN 1 linking the Brasov and Bucharest. The workers expressed
their protest against the recent emergency ordinance banning bonuses for
state owned enterprises, autonomous utilities, public and research
institutions. The spontaneous protest rally on Wednesday ended at 4 PM and
the traffic on DN 1 is now getting back to normal. RADOR
[07] President Constantinescu on a visit to Brussels
The visit to Brussels of President Emil Constantinescu concentrated on
three main events: the meeting with NATO Secretary general Javier Solan,
the meeting with the ambassadors in the North-Atlantic Council and a joint
press conference Constantinescu - Solana. The speech of President
Constantinescu before the NATO ambassadors followed two introductions made
by the NATO secretary general and the Portugese Antonio Martin Santacruz,
who became the dean of the North-Atlantic Council since Wednesday. The
Romanian president has answered questions by NATO ambassadors and, at the
press conference with Javier Solana, they both expressed gratitude for the
beautiful words and the confidence Romania was proving in its relations
with NATO. RADOR
[08] US dollar rose to more than 10,000 lei
The Romanian national currency, the leu, kept dropping against the US
dollar. The National Bank of Romania annouced a 10.080 lei exchange rate on
Wednesday. The exchange rates for other foreign currencies: 1 DEM: 5,927
lei; 1 CND: 6,509 lei; 1 CHF: 7,182 lei; 1 FFR: 1,767 lei; 1 GBP: 16,750
lei; 1,000 TRL: 33 lei; 100 PES: 5,781 lei. Exchange offices buy 1 dollar
at 10,100 lei and sell it at 10,200 lei. The German mark is bought at 5,900
lei and sold at 6,000 lei. RADOR
[09] Spokesman of Romania's National Bank on leu devaluation
The spokesman of Romania's National Bank (BNR) Adrian Vasilescu has told
the Romanian service of the BBC that the recent devaluation of the leu
should not be a reason to worry as it is a natural consequence of the
country's long time disturbances. "The deficit between inports and exports
is reaching some 3 billion dollars in favour of the imports, which means
that the Romanians have again consumed more than they produced in 1998.
Usually, such distortions are not supposed to affect the currency markey so
badly. According to the data we have, the inflation in Novermber will reach
a lower rate than in October" - Mr Vasilescu said. RADOR
[10] Chairman of GazProm arrived to Bucharest
The Chairman of the Russian company GazProm Rem Viakhyrev has arrived to
Bucharest on Wednesday following the invitation by the Romanian Minister of
Trade and Industry Radu Berceanu. Mr Viakhyrev met the Chairman of RomGaz
Aurel Coconea in the presence of the Romanian Minister of Trade and
Industry and the Russian Federation's Ambassador to Bucharest Vladimyr
Kenyakhin. The visit comes after the experts have been negotiationg for two
days the contract on deliveries of natural gas from Russia to Romania in
1999. The second purpose of the visit is an agreement on developing a
delivery system of natural gas from Russia through Romania to the Southern
Balkan countries, mainly to Turkey. RADOR
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